


Lovely Day

by cactuscactus



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Blood, Blood and Gore, F/F, F/M, Investigations, Jaehee and Jumin are actually friends, M/M, Marriage, Mentions of Rape, Missing Persons, Murder Mystery, Mystery, RFA doesn't exist, Unreliable Narrator, dark themes, mc has a name, sometimes marriage is wack, this is an au of a movie but I'm not gonna say what movie it is
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2020-08-13 04:09:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 46,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20167900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cactuscactus/pseuds/cactuscactus
Summary: Your name is Chung Misoo, and you've been reported missing.It happens on the morning of your wedding anniversary. Your husband, the wealthy businessman Han Jumin goes out for a bit, only to come back to smashed glass, the smell of bleach, and no sign of you.Police are dumbfounded, but as the investigation goes on evidence begins to pile up. Suspicions are flying, no one is sure who to trust, and Jumin's behavior is seeming stranger by the second.Then when investigators find a letter labeled 'clue one' in your dresser, things only get weirder.





	1. Strawberries and Bleach

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! So I know I have two other fics going right now but I got the idea for this and just absolutely could not get it out of my head so here we are! This fic is an au of a movie, but I'm not going to say what movie it's based off of because I don't want anyone to go into it with certain expectations. If you guess what movie it is, good for you! If not, then stay tuned for the ride because it'll be a wild one ;)
> 
> I really really hope you guys enjoy this fic and if you recognize the movie this is an au of do me a favor and please don't spoil the twist for other readers. It'll be much more enjoyable that way
> 
> Thank you so much and I hope you like it! I got the title for this fic from the song 'Lovely Day' by alt-j

That morning, you made your husband crepes. 

It was early. The sun had not yet risen, giving the sky a soft grey color that made the world feel like a dream. A cool breeze passed through the open window in the kitchen, billowing the curtains ever so slightly and making goosebumps rise along your bare arms. You poured the crepe batter onto the pan, watching it as it sizzled and popped against the heat. 

Beside you was a tupperware container of cut up strawberries. You reached over to pop one in your mouth as you cooked, and the sweetness exploded on your tongue. Strawberries were your favorite fruit. 

You didn’t make crepes often. They were easy to mess up and you had people who could cook breakfast for you both, but today was a special occasion. You both knew that. 

As you flipped the crepe over to its other side, you heard footsteps echoing against the hardwood floor. Glancing up, you smiled when you saw your husband making his way towards you. 

Not many people got the opportunity to see Han Jumin, Project Director at C&R International, in such a disheveled state. His hair was askew from sleep, his (designer) sleep shirt was rumpled, one of the legs of his sweatpants was higher up than the other, and bags were visible under his eyes. You thought he looked adorable. 

“Misoo-” he began, voice still thick with sleep. 

“Darling, wait a minute,” you cut him off in a soft voice. You turned the stove with the crepes off, and stepped around the kitchen counter to walk towards him. He watched you with a softness most people didn’t get to see in his stormy grey eyes, but his expression didn’t change as you took both his hands in your own. 

“I know what you’re going to say,” you told him. “And I want you to know that I love you, and I want you to really think back on yourself and what you want before telling me what you’re going to tell me.” 

Jumin blinked at you, staring for a moment as the wheels turned in his mind. After a moment, he sighed, his entire body sagging with the motion. He squeezed your hands and leaned forward to press a kiss to your forehead. 

“I’m going to go out for a bit. I will be back soon,” he promised you. You nodded, giving him a small smile and watching as he turned around and left the kitchen. 

Your forehead tingled from where he had kissed you. You walked back over to the stove and turned it back on, resuming the crepes as if nothing had happened. After all, he would be back soon to eat them. You knew he would.

♕♕♕

The door jingled as Jumin pushed his way into the cafe, the aroma of sweet coffee filling his nose as he searched the tables for the woman he was there to meet. He checked his watch to see the time. _10:21 am_. He was only six minutes late.

He spotted his assistant sitting at a table in the corner of the cafe, a laptop in front of her and a latte in her hand. She didn’t glance up as he approached, her gaze focused on the scrolling screen in front of her. When he sat down across from her, she jumped in her seat. 

“Oh! Mr. Han! You startled me,” she explained in a rush, setting her cup down and shutting her laptop. 

“You’re fine, Assistant Kang,” Jumin reassured her. 

“I ordered you a black coffee already. It should be here in just a moment,” Jaehee told him, folding her hands in front of her. “Your dinner reservations for tonight have already been arranged for you and Mrs. Chung at 7pm, so don’t forget about that. I’ve also already ordered a bouquet of roses to be sent to be sent to your house around noon.” 

Just then, a perky young girl in a uniform walked over and set a cup of coffee in front of Jumin. He thanked her and she beamed at him before walking away once more. 

“Thank you for taking care of that for me, Assistant Kang,” Jumin said, taking a sip out of the mug. “All these years you’ve been helping with my anniversary plans with my wife. I… appreciate that.” 

Jaehee frowned at Jumin’s unusual sentimality. “Don’t worry, I’m happy to. And I will continue to help for many more years,” she said, deciding to ignore the peculiar behavior. Jumin sighed at that, and her frown deepened. “Is something wrong, sir?” 

“I just can’t believe it’s been five years,” Jumin said quietly, staring into his mug. 

Jaehee was silent for a moment, tapping her fingernails against the edge of her mug. “There doesn’t have to be another anniversary, you know that, right Jumin?” Jaehee only started using his first name during personal conversations a few years prior, after their work relationship began to improve thanks to Misoo’s influence. 

“Yes, I’m well aware of that,” Jumin replied. 

“I can contact divorce lawyers for you if you would like?” Jaehee suggested, keeping her voice low. 

Jumin shook his head. “No… not yet. I will let you know.” 

Jaehee nodded and looked back down at the table, taking another sip of her latte. 

“Is she doing that treasure hunt again?” She asked. 

“Yes,” Jumin nodded, “I used to look forward to them, but as of late they’ve become more of a reminder of ways I’ve disappointed her if I’m being honest. Like last year the treasure hunt led me to a dying rose bush.” 

“How symbolic,” Jaehee commented. 

This made Jumin snort. “Yes, I suppose so,” he takes another sip of his coffee, “I’m not sure how she’ll react to her gift this year. I was unsure of what to get her so I simply got her a pair of diamond earrings.” 

“Isn’t that what you got her last year?” Jaehee asked. 

“I got her a necklace last year,” Jumin clarified. “She doesn’t wear it though. I don’t think she’ll wear the earrings either, if I’m being honest.” 

“Has she ever worn anything you’ve gotten her as an anniversary present?” 

Jumin paused for a moment, before a blush rose to his cheeks. “Yes, in the past,” he said, looking away from Jaehee. Deciding it was in her best interest not to know, Jaehee kept quiet. 

A blaring ring interrupted the silence, causing Jaehee to jump in her seat. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out her phone and glanced at the notification. Her eyes widened as she unlocked her phone, and Jumin watched her tap out something quickly before putting the phone down. 

“I just received an alert from the doorbell camera at your house. It appears Elizabeth the 3rd has gotten out.” 

“She has?” Jumin blinked. Jaehee nodded and he pushed himself out of his seat. “That’s unusual. I don’t know why Misoo would leave the front door open like that. I must go get her.” 

“Mr. Han, don’t worry too much. You have the gate surrounding your property. She can’t get out,” Jaehee reassured him. 

He shook his head. “I know, but I don’t want to risk her getting hurt.” Jaehee accepted that and watched him gather his things. “I will see you tomorrow, Assistant Kang.” 

“Let me know how dinner goes, Mr. Han,” Jaehee told him as he walked away. He waved a hand in acknowledgement, and made his way to the car parked outside. Driver Kim nodded at Jumin as he got inside, and soon enough they were on their way. 

Fifteen minutes later, Driver Kim was pulling into Jumin’s house. He parked in the driveway, allowing Jumin to jump out before driving into the garage. Jumin looked around, searching for any sign of white fur. Then, he heard a soft meow. 

Turning towards the front door, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Elizabeth the 3rd sitting patiently near a flower pot. Rushing over to her, he scooped the cat up in his arms, not minding the cat hair that got all over his suit. 

“There you are Elizabeth,” he said, pressing a kiss to her soft head. “I was so worried about you. How did you get outside, darling?” He asked the cat. Her blue eyes blinked at him before meowing again. 

Jumin turned to look at the front door, which he saw was indeed open as Jaehee suggested. Frowning, he pushed it open and stepped inside, setting Elizabeth down once he had closed it behind him. 

“Misoo?” He called out, looking around the foyer. There was no noise, no footsteps or voices or any sign of life inside the house. 

The smell of crepes was long gone as Jumin made his way to the living room. The hardwood floor creaked beneath his feet, and an odd feeling of dread began to creep over him as he walked. Elizabeth followed behind him, which was unusual for her. Usually the house was hers and she was aware of this fact. She strode around as confidently as a cat could, and rarely followed the human in front of her. 

At first glance, the living room seemed normal. The white couch was immaculate as ever, the pillows arranged just how Misoo liked it. But when Jumin’s gaze traveled a bit more to the side, he realized something was very amiss. 

The coffee table, the glass one from New York that Misoo had picked out herself, it was tipped over onto its side. Shards of glass littered the wood floor like small crystals, and Jumin instinctively picked Elizabeth up again so she couldn’t hurt herself on it. 

“Misoo?” Jumin called out again, his tone a bit more worried. He looked over to the kitchen that was separated from the living room only by a half wall, and realized the strawberries from the crepes that morning were still out on the counter. 

Jumin felt numb as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. 

“_Hello this is 112, what’s your emergency?_” 

“Um, hello, I think I’ve had a break-in.”

♕♕♕

**December 3rd, 2012**

_I can’t believe I almost didn’t go to that charity party last night. If I had missed it, I would’ve missed having one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time. _

_To put it simply: I met a boy. I met a boy and I can’t stop thinking about him. I feel like a lovesick teenager ready to burst with how happy I am. _

_Okay, let me backtrack. The party. _

_It was a formal dinner for the business elite here in Seoul. I only received an invite because of my translating work at the embassy. You should’ve seen this place. The crystal candlesticks alone could’ve paid for my apartment’s rent for a year. _

_Everyone was dressed in designer gowns and suits. My dress was nice, but in comparison to the others I saw I felt sorely out of place. _

_I had spoken to a few people I’d met through the embassy, I’d been asked to give examples of the languages I knew, and I’d downed three glasses of champagne after only an hour of being there. I think a part of me was hoping that if I got drunk enough to puke I would finally have a valid reason to leave. _

_But then… I met him. _

_Han Jumin. Son of Chairman Han of C&R International. _

_Yes, you read that right. C&R international. _

_I had been reaching for my fourth wine glass when I—quite literally—bumped into him. Thankfully my champagne glass at the time was empty, so I didn’t spill anything on the man, but the shattered glass all over the floor made me blush bright red all the same. I apologized to him for being so clumsy, and he reassured me it wasn’t my fault. He helped me step out of the way of the glass as some servers came to clean it up. From there our conversation went something like this. _

_“How chivalrous. Do you rescue girls from the terrors of broken glass often?” I asked, smiling at him. _

_“Only when the broken glass is my fault,” he responded, not really looking at me. _

_“It’s doubtful to say it was your fault. It was clearly mine for not looking where I was going,” I explained. “But it gave you a good excuse to play the knight and rescue the girl, didn’t it?” _

_He gave me a surprised look, before shrugging. “I do not ‘play knight’. I’m simply courteous.” _

_“Bullshit,” I said, watching his face, “you enjoy being needed. All men do.” _

_Now this caused him to look more than surprised. He blinked a few times before his features settled into something akin to a frown, but not quite. “Do you know who you’re speaking to?” _

_I laughed. “A rich businessman in a designer suit I’m guessing? That’s what everyone else here is, besides me of course. Frankly I don’t care who you are, you just seem like someone interesting to talk to.” _

_Now this seemed to get him. His eyes were wide as he looked me up and down. Clearly he had never had an interaction like that before. _

_“If you’re not a rich person in designer clothing, who are you? What do you do?” _

_“Chung Misoo,” I introduced, bowing a bit. “I work as a translator at the embassy.” _

_“A translator?” He asked with a raised brow. “You’re familiar with the intricacies of language. I suppose that explains your way with words.” _

_“Is that an insult or a compliment?” I asked. _

_He smirked. “That’s for you to decide.” _

_We ended up talking for the rest of the night. We both complained about how insufferable these type of parties were, we discussed former relationship, we spoke of our differences in background, how wonderful cats were, just normal conversation topics. As the night wore on though, Jumin confided in me how he’s usually not so comfortable around women, as they always want something from him. So I felt strangely proud that I had managed to put him at ease. _

_By the end of the night we were both tipsy and had left the party ages ago. We shared a glass of wine and some dark chocolate at his penthouse nearby, and I got to meet his cat. _

_He has a wonderful cat by the way. She’s a gorgeous white Persian named Elizabeth the 3rd. I adore her. _

_When it got late, he told me I should go and that he would have his driver take me home. Apparently he’s more of the traditional type and prefers not to let a woman stay over unless they are married. I accepted this but before I left I gave him a kiss on the cheek and left my number on a piece of paper, and his face was so red it looked like a tomato._

_I can’t get over how happy I am. We’re having dinner tomorrow at one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. It’s odd. While I’ve met charming, rich men before, Jumin seems different. He’s not trying to woo me, he doesn’t have a goal in mind. He simply just wants to get to know me. _

_I can’t wait to get to know him._

♕♕♕

A police car, one that would later be many police cars, drove through the gates and into the Han driveway at around 11am that morning. The car parked near the front of the house, and two men stepped out.

The first impression one might have of them when seeing them is that neither of them look like they should be police officers. The man who had been driving had bright red hair, vibrant yellow glasses with grey stripes, and was wearing the rather casual attire of a hoodie and jeans. The other man wasn’t so much of a man as a boy. He had bleached blond hair and large puppy dog eyes that made him look very young, but he was wearing a uniform at least. 

Together the two of them made their way to the front door of the Han residence, and the redhead rang the doorbell before crossing his arms over his chest to wait. 

Jumin opened the door with Elizabeth still in his arms, frowning when he saw the two officers in front of him. 

“Are you Han Jumin?” The redhead asked. Jumin nodded. “I’m Detective Choi Saeyoung, and this is Officer Kim Yoosung. We’re here about your break in.” 

“Um, yes I did call about a break in but… are you two really police? Forgive my mistrust but you both look very young.” 

Yoosung flushed while Saeyoung laughed. “Don’t worry dude I get that a lot. I graduated college early so I’m a lot younger than most of the detectives,” he said, reaching into his pocket to pull out a badge. He handed it to Jumin, who looked it over with narrowed eyes. “Cutie Yoosung over here is just a baby though, he graduated less than a year ago!” He explained, nudging the blond in the side with a shit-eating grin. 

“I’m not a baby!” Yoosung protested. “You’re only a year older than me. It’s not fair that you’re just super smart.” Saeyoung laughed as Jumin handed the badge back to him. 

“Here, just come in,” Jumin said, opening the door wider and gesturing for the two to step inside. Saeyoung and Yoosung made their way inside, and Jumin led them through the foyer and into the living room where the coffee table was. “I went out this morning to meet with my assistant for coffee when I received an alert from my doorbell camera that my cat had gotten out. When I came back I found my door was open, the coffee table was broken, and my wife is nowhere to be found.” 

Saeyoung frowned. “Wait you can’t find your wife?” He asked. Jumin shook his head. “Have you tried calling her?” 

“Her cell phone is still here,” Jumin explained, pointing to where Misoo’s cell phone sat on the kitchen counter. “I’m not one to panic easily, but I’m concerned as to what this could mean.” 

Saeyoung and Yoosung both nodded. “Yeah this… looks weird,” Yoosung commented, stepping over to the coffee table and frowning. 

“There’s been a spike in drug-related crimes in the area lately,” Saeyoung said, stepping over to the fireplace mantle and peering at the framed photos sitting there. “Do you mind showing us around the rest of the house, Mr. Han?” 

“Of course,” Jumin said, setting Elizabeth down in the kitchen. 

Jumin led them into the kitchen, explaining how Misoo had just been making crepes that morning. Then he led them into the sun room, the game room, the downstairs guest bedroom, and his office before leading them upstairs.

“This is a really nice house,” Saeyoung said, looking at the expensive decor and art along the walls. 

“Thank you. My wife enjoys interior design,” Jumin explained as he led them into his and Misoo’s bedroom. 

Saeyoung’s eyes were narrowed as he looked around, taking in the photos of Jumin and Misoo along the walls, interspersed with more expensive art. He looked at the perfectly made bed, seeming as though it had just come from the page of a magazine. Elizabeth, who had followed them from downstairs, jumped up onto the bed and Saeyoung mouthed something at her that looked like the words ‘I would die for you’. Jumin decided to ignore that. 

“So what do you do for a living, Mr. Han?” Yoosung asked. 

Jumin coughed, not used to questions about his job. “I’m, uh, a businessman. I work at C&R International.” 

Saeyoung turned to look at Jumin when he said that. “Wait, you’re _Han_ Jumin. The Chairman of C&R is your father, isn’t he?” 

Jumin nodded. “Yes, I’ve been working at my father’s company for many years now.” Saeyoung just hummed in response to that, and Jumin couldn’t read what his thoughts were on that answer. 

Detective Choi made Jumin uncomfortable and he wasn’t sure why. There was something about his too-sharp golden eyes, or the way he seemed to be scrutinizing every aspect of his and Misoo’s life, or the fact that he couldn’t have been older than 25 that rubbed Jumin the wrong way. He couldn’t get a read on the man no matter what, and having been experienced in the art of business deals it was rare when Jumin couldn’t read someone. 

Saeyoung’s eyes then traveled over the dark blue dress that was hanging on the door of Misoo’s closet. He stepped over to it, letting his fingers run along the edge of the fabric, before his hand dropped and he turned around to lock eyes with Jumin once more. “Date night?” He asked. 

“Yes, it’s our anniversary,” Jumin explained, glancing at his shoes. 

Saeyoung shared a look with Yoosung, but Jumin couldn’t tell what the look meant. 

“Congrats.” Yoosung said, smiling at him. “How long have you two been married?” 

“Five years,” Jumin answered. 

Saeyoung let out an impressed whistle. “That’s a long time. Good for you two,” he said. Although his words were genuine, there was something in his tone that told Jumin he didn’t really mean it. 

Jumin then led them through the rest of the upstairs, ending with Misoo’s office. 

“Wow, smart lady,” Yoosung said, eyes wide as he looked at her degrees. 

“What does your wife do for a living?” Saeyoung asked, eyeing the vase of wilting flowers that sat on her desk. 

“She worked as a translator at the embassy when I first met her, and then later she worked as a translator for us at C&R. However, a few years ago she decided to take a break and focus on her writing.” 

“What languages does she speak?” Yoosung asked, looking at the masters in linguistics that was hanging on the wall. 

“Well besides Korean she’s fluent in English and Chinese. She’s also conversational in Cantonese, Arabic, and Japanese.” 

“Hey Saeyoung! Finally someone else who knows Arabic!” Yoosung called out, poking the redhead on the shoulder. 

Jumin looked to Saeyoung and raised an eyebrow. “You know Arabic?” 

“Yuperooni!” Saeyoung confirmed. “I took it in college but I never got to use it because no one in Korea knows it. But when we find your wife, I’ll finally be able to use my special Arabic skills!” 

The way Saeyoung casually said ‘when we find your wife’ instead of ‘if’ made Jumin’s chest feel a little less tight. The detective may be unusual, but he seemed to really care about what was going on at least. 

After that Jumin led the two men back downstairs and into the kitchen. The strawberries were still sitting out, and Jumin shooed away a fly as they walked to the spot where Misoo had been making crepes that morning. The smell of chemicals—ones you would use to clean, like bleach—hung heavy in the air here, and it made Jumin’s stomach turn. He hadn’t noticed that until now. 

As Saeyoung looked around, any sign of the joking from earlier was gone. His expression was dead serious as he looked around the kitchen. 

“Was Misoo doing some cleaning?” He asked, gaze flitting to the strawberries. 

“She might’ve been, I’m not sure. She kept the house very clean so it wouldn’t surprise me if she was,” Jumin answered. Saeyoung nodded but didn’t respond to that, and continued to look around. After a moment, his eyes locked onto a specific spot on the wall by the stove. 

Following Saeyoung’s gaze, Jumin noticed a small splatter of red against the white paint. Saeyoung pulled a yellow sticky note from his pocket and marked it by the red, before moving away from the kitchen and back towards the living room. 

“Alright, I think we’ve seen all we need to see for the moment,” Saeyoung said, turning to Jumin. “I’m going to have forensics come and sweep this place down, see if we can find anything unusual. In the meantime, do you mind coming down to the station with us?” Saeyoung must’ve noticed Jumin’s confusion, because he continued with, “we just want to ask some questions about who Misoo is and try to piece together where she could be.”

“Of course, that’s no issue at all,” Jumin said, pulling out his phone to text Jaehee. 

The three men left the house together, with the strawberries from that morning still sitting out on the counter, and the smell of bleach still hanging heavily in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so to get this clarification out of the way: this fic takes place in 2019. Meaning that since Misoo’s diary entry is from 2012, she met Jumin 7 years prior to the events of this fic. Just wanted to get that out there since I don’t really have dates anywhere else in this fic
> 
> Also if you’re wondering why I’m not using Minhee Choi as MC’s name for this it’s because Minhee is basically a full blown OC to me at this point and her character did not work for this fic so instead we have Misoo Chung as MC instead
> 
> Oh and another thing, if you’re wondering why Jaehee referred to her as Mrs. Chung instead of Mrs. Han it’s because in South Korea women don’t change their last names when they get married! Fun fact! 
> 
> Anyway I hope you guys liked the first chapter! There won’t be a lot of second person POV till later on so I’m sorry about that, but hopefully you’re enjoying following Jumin around as stuff just gets weirder and weirder lol
> 
> Please please comment if you like this so far! And if you know what movie this is an au of please don’t say it in the comments or else I will delete your comment. Sorry ;-; but still I really appreciate feedback and would love to hear what you guys are enjoying so far! 
> 
> Talk to me on tumblr!  
cactusskiddo.tumblr.com


	2. Blood Types

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jumin gets questioned, but not everything adds up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys!! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter, because I'm really having fun writing this! I'm kind of rushing writing these authors notes 'cause I gotta go somewhere, but anyway I hope you really enjoy this chapter!!! Hopefully I can get the next one up soon!
> 
> remember, if you recognize the movie this is from don't say anything!

The police station was just about as stereotypical as you could get. The walls were a dark beige, the floors a white linoleum that squeaked against the bottom of Jumin’s shoes. Desk workers and officers in uniform alike were milling about, shuffling files around with bits of gossip thrown in between. When Saeyoung and Yoosung led Jumin through the station, only a few people spared a glance at him. Jumin figured they see the business suit and nice shoes and most likely assume he’s being brought in for tax fraud or something of the sort. 

He wished he were here for tax fraud. That would be so much easier. 

Jumin was taken to a back room that looked like it could be taken straight from a crime tv show. The walls were blank white, with no windows to speak of. In the middle of the room was a metal table with plastic chairs on either side, and Jumin could easily picture himself sitting there in handcuffs. 

Saeyoung and Yoosung sit down first, and Saeyoung gestured for Jumin to sit down across from him. 

“So this is how it’s going to work,” Saeyoung began, leaning back in his chair, “we’re just gonna ask you some questions about Misoo and what you’ve done so far today. Then we’re going to get some DNA samples from you so that when forensics sweeps the house we know what DNA is yours and what is hers, and if there were any other people in the house as well.” 

“I don’t think my wife would’ve tipped that coffee table over herself if she was alone in the house,” Jumin muttered. 

“Yeah, I know that, dude. But we don’t know anything for sure yet, ‘kay?” Saeyoung replied, raising an eyebrow at him. “Anyway, you’re entitled to have a lawyer present here while you talk to us if you want. Is that something you want?” 

Jumin stared at both men for a moment, weighing his options, before shaking his head no. “I see no reason as to why I would need one. I simply want to find my wife.” Yoosung smiled at that, which gave Jumin a feeling like he had just gotten an answer right on a test. 

“Alright, so Jumin—do you mind if I call you that?” Saeyoung asked. Jumin nodded. “Cool beans. So we want to get an idea of what Misoo might’ve been doing before she disappeared. Like to retrace her steps and stuff. So you said that she was taking a break from employment currently to focus on writing?” Jumin nodded. “So what kind of stuff does she do all day? Does she just write, or does she have any other hobbies? Y’know, stuff that gets her out of the house.” 

Jumin frowned as he tried to think of what Misoo did while he was at work. In the past she would tell him about her novel, and what she had written that day and where she was planning on going the next day. But as of late, she had stopped telling him about her novel. He had assumed she just had a bout of writer’s block and didn’t push it, but the more he thought about it, he came to realize it had been an unusually long time since she had talked to him about her book. 

Thinking more, Jumin realized he wasn’t sure of anything else she did. He knew she cleaned a lot. While he offered multiple times to just have the maid do it, she claimed she enjoyed it, and preferred to do the tidying up herself. 

Jumin’s frown deepened as he tried to think of her hobbies, and failed to come up with much of anything. 

“She… reads books a lot,” he answered, feeling foolish for having such a lackluster response. “She used to enjoy taking the train to different cities just as a kind of day adventure. But I think the last time she did that was… a little less than a year ago maybe? As of late, most of what I saw her doing was either reading or cleaning.” 

“That’s all?” Yoosung asked, looking confused. 

Jumin felt uncomfortable, and looked down at the table. “I believe so, yes.” 

Saeyoung and Yoosung shared a look, and Jumin could feel the suspicion practically dripping off the two men. It was always the husband who was suspected first, and Jumin’s utter cluelessness wasn’t helping matters, he knew that. 

“Well does she have any friends?” Yoosung asked after a moment. “People she hangs out with from time to time?” 

Jumin thought back to when Misoo would go out with friends. She was very likeable, and was able to charm her way into large friend groups with ease. She would go out for cocktails with some girls she had met only a few days prior, she would go to art museums with former coworkers Jumin never remembered her mentioning, and she would travel to different cities to visit old friends from college constantly. 

But as their marriage went on, Misoo… changed. She became more bitter, her wit too sharp for most of the people around her. She stopped seeing her old friends and didn’t bother to make new ones. 

Jumin remembered one time Jaehee summed her up perfectly. They had stayed late at the office, and ended up splitting a bottle of wine Jumin had kept under his desk to alleviate a stressful meeting they had had that day. Neither of them were sober, and the conversation had turned to Jumin’s marriage. Jaehee had described Misoo as a ‘pretentious bitch’, and Jumin couldn’t find it in himself to disagree with that description. 

“Well, Misoo is a… complicated person. People don’t always take to her too easily,” Jumin explained, fiddling with his cufflinks. 

“So she doesn’t have a lot of friends?” Saeyoung asked. 

Jumin winced. “She doesn’t, uh, have any friends.” 

The room was dead silent, save for the sound of a pen scratching on paper. Looking up, Jumin saw Saeyoung scribbling something down, before he set the notepad down again. Beside him, Yoosung was keeping his eyes on his lap. 

“What was her blood type, Jumin? Since it seemed like there was a struggle, we’re going to need that on file in case we find any more evidence,” Saeyoung said, folding his hands in front of him. 

Fuck. 

“I’m not aware of what her blood type is,” Jumin answered, trying to keep his embarrassment from showing. Jaehee was the one who handled personal files for both of them. There had never been any reason for them to mention blood types. 

“You don’t know your wife’s blood type?” Saeyoung questioned, narrowing his eyes. 

“My assistant probably has it on file. I can ask her for it and get back to you on that,” Jumin said, ignoring the piercing golden eyes of Saeyoung. 

“You don’t know what your wife does while you’re at work, you don’t know if she has any friends, and you don’t know her blood type?” Saeyoung questioned. 

“Are you sure you guys are married?” Yoosung added, a light laugh at the end of the very non-funny question. 

“It was something that just never came up,” Jumin explained, running a hand through his hair. 

Saeyoung sighed and started writing in his notepad again. “Alright, it’s fine. I’ll just pull it from her medical records,” he put the notepad down and took his cell phone out from his pocket. “We’re going to hold a press conference tomorrow discussing Misoo’s disappearance so that we can get the word out. Do you think her parents can make it down here by then?” 

Jumin sighed and ran another hand through his hair. “Misoo’s parents died many years before I met her. I’m her only living family.” 

Saeyoung and Yoosung shared another mysterious look, before Saeyoung nodded and added it to the notepad. “Alrighty then, Jumin. That’s all we needed to ask you, so we just need your DNA samples and for you to fill out some paperwork, and then you’re free to go. You can’t go back to your house tonight though, forensics is gonna be all over the place. Do you have somewhere else you can stay?” 

Jumin knew plenty of hotels he could get a room in with no trouble. “Yes, I have a place to stay.” 

Saeyoung nodded and made a waving motion outside the door, and another officer stepped into the room. “If you’ll go with Officer Hwang here, she’ll take you to get your DNA samples taken.” 

Jumin pushed himself out of his seat and locked eyes with both men in front of him. “Please keep me updated on the situation as it progresses.” 

“Of course, Jumin,” Saeyoung said. Jumin nodded and turned to Officer Hwang, and she led him out of the interrogation room and back into the police station. 

Once Jumin left, Yoosung turned to Saeyoung with wide eyes. 

“Am I supposed to know your blood type?” He asked in a worried whisper. 

“Oh my god, babe, no. You’re fine!” 

Yoosung breathed a sigh of relief and let his head drop onto Saeyoung’s shoulder, and Saeyoung pressed a kiss to his head as the back of Jumin’s head disappeared from his view. 

Taking DNA samples was made to sound like it would be an easy task, but it was almost anything but. They swabbed Jumin’s mouth multiple times along with his hands, took samples of his hair, and even took samples of Elizabeth’s cat hair. After all that was said and done, there was still paperwork to be filed. Jumin had to fill out all the information he could remember about Misoo, giving basic identification details like her height and weight, along with more complex things like what her shoe size was and what her favorite places to visit were. 

By the time it was over, night had fallen. Jumin was told he could leave so he hurried out as quick as he could, and when he stepped into the main lobby of the station he was met with a pair of worried hazel eyes. 

“Mr. Han!” Jaehee exclaimed, pushing herself to her feet and rushing to him. “I’ve been waiting for them to release you. Is everything alright? Do they have any leads?” 

“Not yet,” Jumin answered, sighing deeply. “Their forensics team is sweeping through our house right now, so I can’t go back there tonight. Do you think you could arrange for me to stay at a hotel nearby?” 

Jaehee frowned and was silent for a moment. “Forgive me for being so blunt, but I don’t know if it’s the best idea for you to be alone right now,” she said, concern glittering in her gaze. “You are free to refuse, but while my house is rather small, I keep it looking nice. And while I don’t have a guest bedroom, the pullout couch is surprisingly comfortable.” 

“You… you’re offering to let me stay at your house?” Jumin asked, raising an eyebrow at his assistant. “I once recall you saying your house is your one refuge from work. I do not want to intrude on this space of yours.” 

“I’m not offering to let my boss stay in my home,” Jaehee said, looking into his eyes. “I’m asking my friend, Jumin, if he would like to stay somewhere else other than a lonely hotel room after finding out his wife has gone missing.” 

Jumin stared at her for a moment, unsure of what to say. Normally, Jumin was a fan of quiet. But right now, the idea of sitting in an unfamiliar hotel room without Misoo by his side gave him a feeling akin to oil pooling in his stomach. 

The receptionist of the station watched this interaction with a distant interest, like a tv show she wasn’t very into but was paying attention to because nothing else was on. 

“I… would appreciate that, Jaehee,” Jumin said quietly. 

Jaehee nodded, and turned to the door. “Let’s go then.”

♕♕♕

**January 1st, 2014**

_Sometimes, I wonder why I am the way I am. _

_I’m in love with Han Jumin, and I’ve been aware of this fact for quite a while now. I love him and he loves me. He’s a wonderful man, even if most can’t see it. While he comes off as cold and abrasive to those who don’t know him, to me he’s so so sweet. _

_Yes, I called Han Jumin sweet. I’ll explain my reasoning right now. _

_Unlike many people I’ve been with before, he’s extremely thoughtful. He remembers small details about me, like what my favorite wine is, what food I like when I’m sick, what my favorite childhood movie was. Tiny, inconsequential details that most people forget about as soon as they learn them. Jumin doesn’t forget these though. It’s as if every fact he learns about me he stores away in a special file in his brain, to be pulled out later whenever it becomes relevant again. _

_Another thing: he’s extremely generous. Not just with his money, although I will admit I could probably buy a house with all the money he’s spent on gifts for me. No, he also is generous with his time. If I ever need something from him, be it asking him to go out and grab something for me because I’m too tired to or just simply wanting him to come home from work early so we can spend time together, he’ll do it without complaint. _

_Jumin is not a man of words. Yes, he has made swooping declarations of love for me in the past, but these aren’t very common, and that’s okay. I don’t need verbal reminders of his love every hour. I can see it in the way he rubs my feet for me when they’re sore from my high heels, or the way he plays with my hair when we’re sitting on his couch together, or how he kisses me dozens upon dozens of times before leaving for work in the morning because he has to ‘get it right’. _

_I love this man dearly. And he loves me back. _

_So when I ask why I’m like this, I mean why do I continuously refuse every proposal of marriage he’s made to me?_

_To be honest, I’m not quite sure. In the beginning it was because it was too soon. I mean, the man proposed to me only two weeks after we’d first met. When I refused, he waited another month before trying again. After that he waited for another three months, then another three months after that. And soon, my excuse fell flat. _

_His latest proposal to me was on Christmas. As has become custom with us, I laughed and gave him the answer I always did. Not yet. _

_But afterwards I got to thinking why. What was I waiting for? We had been together for over a year, and I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. So I did what I always do when faced with what should be an easy choice for most, but is a tough choice for me. I sat down and had a talk with myself. _

_I realized I had been afraid. Afraid of my marriage turning into what I saw all around me. Women, treating their husbands like dancing monkeys to show off to their friends. See who has the best husband? Me! And men, treating their wives like the police, to be avoided and dodged at all costs. That’s not what I want. _

_But the more I thought about it, the more I knew I could make it work with Jumin. We’re not just lovers, but he’s my best friend and I’m his. We are equals in this relationship. And if anyone can make it work, it’s us. _

_Last night we spent the New Year alone in his penthouse, drinking champagne and eating chocolate covered strawberries while watching the fireworks outside. Once the fireworks had ended, he read a book to me. Another sweet aspect of Jumin: he loves reading to me, and I love listening. _

_This morning, I woke up with his face buried in my hair and his arms wrapped around my waist. I turned to face him, and my shifting woke him up. And in that moment, with the morning sun creating soft shadows on his face, and his hair falling slightly in his eyes, I just… knew. _

_“Jumin?” I whispered, trailing my hand along his cheek. _

_“Yes, love?” He whispered back, peeking one eye open to look at me. _

_I smiled at him. He’s so cute when he’s sleepy. _

_“Will you marry me?” _

_He blinked at me, looking confused. But then, it was like the sun had decided to make its way into our room, because his smile was blinding. It was one of the rare times I got to see him genuinely, completely smile. It’s always my favorite thing to see. _

_“Of course I will. There’s nothing I want more than to marry you.” _

_I think this New Year is going to be great for us._

♕♕♕

Jaehee’s house was almost exactly what Jumin had expected. It was small, but not cramped. It was very nice looking, with light walls and simple but sophisticated furniture. The place was dotted with potted plants, giving the entire house a very welcoming feeling. 

Once they arrived, Jaehee got to work setting up the ‘pull out’ couch for Jumin. He had never seen such a contraption, and was fascinated with how it worked. He did his best to try and help his assistant set it up, but that mostly just consisted of him standing awkwardly off to the side while she did everything because Jaehee didn’t want him to get in the way. 

Then, Jaehee went off down the hall to retrieve sheets and blankets. When she returned, she was no longer wearing her business attire from the day, but had instead changed into a simple black tank top and sweatpants. There was also something else off about her, but he couldn’t quite pin what. 

Jumin watched as Jaehee made the bed, when suddenly it hit him. 

“You’re not wearing your glasses,” he pointed out, pleased he had managed to identify the difference. 

Jaehee didn’t look up as she continued making the bed. “Considering I don’t actually need them, I find it pointless to wear them when I’m not at work.” 

Jumin frowned. “Then why do you wear them at work?” That made Jaehee look up, and she stayed silent as she just stared at him, waiting for him to get it. 

“Oh. I made them part of your uniform,” he said, looking down at the ground. In all honesty, it had been so many years since he had first made that contract that he had completely forgotten about the requirements of Jaehee’s uniform. Including that she didn’t actually need glasses, but had to wear fake ones anyway. 

“Yes, you did,” Jaehee responded, her voice suspiciously neutral. 

Jumin watched her smooth out the flat sheet on top of the fitted sheet, letting the uniform mull over in his head. She reached for the comforter, and he made a decision. 

“You don’t have to wear them anymore,” Jumin said, not looking at her face. “It was a foolish rule to institute in the first place, and I don’t even remember why I did it. In fact, just consider the entire uniform part of your contract to be void. The only requirement is that you show up to work dressed in appropriate business attire. Anything else regarding your appearance can be left up to you.” 

Jaehee stopped her spreading out of the comforter, and she slowly straightened herself up so she was looking directly into Jumin’s eyes. “So… if I wanted to grow my hair out, I could?” Jumin nodded, and a smile curled up at the corners of Jaehee’s lips. 

“Thank you, Jumin.” 

Jumin coughed, embarrassed by her gratitude. “You don’t need to thank me. It was a ridiculous thing to put in your contract in the first place.” 

Jaehee just nodded, and finished smoothing out the comforter. But her smile didn’t go away. 

“So, would you like dinner?” Jaehee asked, changing the subject. 

Jumin thought back to the crepes Misoo was cooking this morning. The ones he never ate. His stomach roiled and he shook his head. The thought of eating repulsed him right now. “No, I’m fine.” 

Jaehee frowned. “What was the last thing you ate today?” 

“Um… I had that coffee with you this morning at the cafe, and I had something from one of the vending machines at the police station. I’ve never used a vending machine before by the way. They are very convenient I must admit.” 

This made Jaehee snort, and she turned away from him to move to the kitchen. “That’s not enough food. I’m going to make you something light, and you can have that for dinner along with some coffee.” Jumin would’ve argued but it wasn’t a question, it was a statement. He didn’t have a choice in this matter. 

“Alright then,” he agreed, following her to the kitchen. 

He leaned against the counter as he watched her take some containers of food out of the fridge, mixing them into a bowl to make what seemed to be a very simplified version of bibimbap. Jaehee was quiet as she mixed the vegetables and cold meat together, separating them into two bowls. She topped them both with leftover eggs she had in a tupperware container, before turning to a complicated looking coffee machine in the corner of her counter. She pressed a few buttons in quick succession, and soon enough there was a bowl of bibimbap and a cup of coffee in front of him. 

“Thank you,” Jumin said, picking up chopsticks and taking a careful bite of a carrot. He waited to see if it would upset his stomach, but when nothing seemed to disagree with him, he began to take more bites. 

Jaehee leaned against the counter, eating out of her bowl as well while she waited for her own coffee to brew. It was silent between them for a few moments, the only sound being the soft bubbling of the percolating coffee. 

Then, “you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but what kind of things did they ask you about at the station?” Jaehee asked in a soft voice. 

Jumin sighed, having known this question would come up. “They asked me things you would typically expect. Like what Misoo did, what her hobbies were, if she had any friends. Anything that could help them retrace her steps to before she disappeared.” 

Jaehee snorted. “Friends? How did you answer that one?” 

“I said she was… complicated.” 

“Jumin!” Jaehee exclaimed, turning to him suddenly, “everyone knows that ‘complicated’ is a term men use to describe women that means ‘bitch’.” 

Jumin blinked. “...really?” Jaehee nodded and he cursed. “Shit. That most likely didn’t do me any favors in their eyes.” 

“Do you think they’re suspicious of you?” Jaehee asked, putting her bowl down. 

“I’m not sure to be honest,” Jumin shrugged, “but I’m well aware of the trope. The unhappy husband murders his wife. I’d be surprised if the police weren’t suspicious of me just for the sole fact that I am her husband.” 

“They always look to the husband first,” Jaehee said sagely. “My only hope is that they don’t focus solely on you, and ignore other leads as a result.” 

“Yes, that wouldn’t help anyone,” Jumin agreed. “We’re having a press conference tomorrow to get the word out about her.” 

“Have you told your father about the situation yet?” Jaehee asked, taking a sip of her coffee. 

Jumin cursed under his breath. “No. I completely forgot about him if I’m being quite honest.” 

“He’s going to be very upset if he finds out about this through a press conference,” Jaehee commented. 

“He can deal with it. I don’t have it in me to call him right now. I already know what he’ll say, something along the lines of how badly this will damage the company’s public image. He’ll try to keep it quiet, and advise against holding a press conference. I don’t want to argue with him on that right now.” Jumin said all this into his coffee cup, watching the swirling black liquid and feeling the steam rise into his face. 

“Do you really think he would do that?” 

Jumin looked up to meet Jaehee’s eyes, giving her a dead stare. She sighed and glanced away, knowing he was right. 

“We’ll find her, Jumin. Don’t worry. After all, you know as well as I do that whoever’s taken her is bound to bring her back.” 

Jumin let out a short chuckle at this. “I suppose you’re right.” 

They fell quiet again as they went back to their food, neither talking for the rest of the meal. Once they had finished, Jaehee cleaned up the dishes and gestured for Jumin to make himself comfortable. Jaehee didn’t bother staying out to try and talk to him. She understood that sometimes it was best to just leave people in silence. 

Jumin wasn’t going to be able to sleep, he knew that. He could only hope the police were taking care of Elizabeth the 3rd properly while he wasn’t at his home.

♕♕♕

The Han residence was abuzz with activity late into the night. Police cars littered the area, white vans were being loaded with samples as teams of people in uniform came and went through the house. In a corner of the room, an officer had been assigned to cat duty after the cat kept getting in the way, and was sitting on the couch with Elizabeth the 3rd on her lap, watching the chaos unfold. 

Saeyoung walked through the house, hands in his pockets as he watched the police officers come and go. Yoosung trailed behind him, and the two made their way to the kitchen where a luminol test was being performed. 

“How’s it looking so far?” Saeyoung asked the man kneeling over the wood floor. 

“We haven’t finished yet, but so far…” he trailed off, giving Saeyoung a concerned look. Saeyoung turned to Yoosung and frowned, and the two of them made their way back to the front door. 

“What do you think so far, Saeyoung?” Yoosung asked in a low voice. 

“I’m not sure, but Jumin’s acting weird, right? Like, most people would be more panicked but that guy just seems… calm.” 

“Yeah, he’s kinda weird. But he might also just not be a very emotional person,” Yoosung pointed out. 

Saeyoung shrugged. “Guess so. I just have a weird feeling about this case, that’s all. Like everything’s not what it seems.” 

“I kinda feel like I’m in a movie,” Yoosung confessed. “With the mysterious rich husband and the beautiful missing wife. It just seems really movie-esque.” 

“God me too,” Saeyoung snorted, pushing off the doorway and making his way into the front driveway. “Next thing we know there’s gonna be some dramatic new development-” 

The universe had a sense of humor, it seemed. Because right at that moment, Saeyoung was cut off by yelling coming from the other side of the Han’s driveway gate. 

“Excuse me! Can someone please tell me what’s going on?!” 

Looking up, Saeyoung saw a young and very heavily pregnant woman waving her hands dramatically trying to get the attention of someone inside the driveway. He shared a look with Yoosung before making his way towards her. 

“Is there something I can help you with?” Saeyoung asked. 

The woman had long brown hair and watery blue eyes which were narrowed at Saeyoung. She looked familiar for some reason, but Saeyoung couldn’t remember from where. 

“What happened here?” She asked, placing her hands on her hips. 

“We’re currently investigating a disappearance from this home. Do you know the people who live here?” Saeyoung asked, leaning back against the soles of his feet. 

The woman gasped, a hand flying up to cover her mouth. It was as if every movement this woman made was dramatized, like she was acting in some play only she knew about. “Is Misoo missing?” She asked in a horrified whisper. 

“Her husband reported her missing this morning,” Yoosung said, jumping into the conversation. “Do you know her?” 

“Know her? I’m her best friend!” The woman declared. Saeyoung and Yoosung shared another look, this time of surprise as they both recalled Jumin telling them Misoo had no friends. 

“Do you mind telling us your name?” Saeyoung asked. 

“Choi Kyungju! But most people call me Echo Girl!” Saeyoung suddenly realized where he knew her from. He remembered how a few years ago that she had been a bit of a pop idol, before eventually settling down with some other wealthy pop idol boy and disappearing into obscurity. 

Beside him, Yoosung gasped. “Echo Girl! Holy shit, I used to be such a huge fan of yours!” 

Saeyoung punched Yoosung in the arm as a reminder that he was on the job and needed to act professional. Yoosung flushed and turned his fanboying into a cough, before straightening back up and schooling his features back into one of neutrality. 

“So, um, you’re friends with Misoo?” Yoosung asked. 

Echo Girl nodded. “Yes, she’s my best friend,” she said, pulling out her phone and tapping away real quickly, before showing Saeyoung and Yoosung a photo of the two of them together. They seemed to be in a cafe, both smiling brightly at the camera. 

After looking at the picture for a moment, Saeyoung glanced back to Echo Girl. “Sorry if we seem a little surprised,” he said, “but Mr. Han informed us that Misoo had no friends in this area. Do you think we could arrange a time for us to come over to your house and talk about your relationship with Misoo? Maybe in thirty minutes?” 

“Okay! I live two houses down from here!” Echo Girl said, turning around to waddle away. 

As she left, Saeyoung turned to Yoosung and raised a brow. 

“No friends, huh?” 

Just then, a shouting came from the house. Saeyoung and Yoosung turned, only to see an officer running at them full speed. 

“Detective Choi!” The man said as he ran towards them, “we found something in her dresser!” 

The man skidded to a stop in front of them, and shoved a creamy envelope into Saeyoung’s hand. Holding it out in front of him, Saeyoung’s eyes widened when he saw the words, ‘Clue One’ written on the front. 

Yoosung looked over his shoulder, a small gasp escaping him. “What the hell?” 

Saeyoung blinked at the envelope before handing it back to the detective. “Put this in an evidence bag.” Then, he turned to Yoosung. “Things just got a lot more interesting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god Echo Girl exists,,,,
> 
> also i cant remember if i said this in the last chapters authors notes but basically when Misoo married Jumin she made him be a way better boss to Jaehee so they're friends and I love their friendship so much 
> 
> anyway please please let me know what you think of this fic so far in the comments!!! Comments really make my day and give me more fuel to keep writing this!
> 
> talk to me on tumblr please!!! I love hearing from you!  
cactusskiddo.tumblr.com


	3. Clues Clues Clues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saeyoung confronts Jumin about the first clue found, while Jumin struggles to unlock the mysteries his wife left for him to find

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! I'm back with another chapter!!!
> 
> I have too many WIPs rn but oh well we all know I'm super inconsistent at updating
> 
> Anyway, to anyone who knows what movie this is, good for you!!! I rewatched the movie this was based on the other night so I have a very clear idea of where everything is leading to finally thank god. But I want you guys to know it's obviously not a carbon copy of the movie, there are differences to account for the different personalities of the characters in this fic so I hope you guys enjoy. To those who are still in the dark, you're in for a fun time ;)
> 
> Also we start getting into more sexual tones in this chapter, but there's nothing explicit. This fic is rated M for a reason lol
> 
> So lets get on with it: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!!!

Jumin awoke the next morning to the clattering of pots and pans, and the smell of coffee wafting through the air. 

“Jaehee?” Jumin asked in a hoarse voice, sitting up from the couch bed and peering into the kitchen with bleary eyes. 

“Oh, you’re awake,” Jaehee commented, not looking up from where she was in the midst of brewing coffee. “I was going to wake you soon anyway. The press conference is soon so we have to get going.” She stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room, and Jumin found a mug of coffee being pressed into his hands. “Drink this, it’ll wake you up.” 

“I should take a shower,” Jumin muttered, taking a sip from the mug. 

Jaehee shook her head as she moved to brew her own cup. “Don’t. Your wife is missing, looking like shit is to be expected.” Jumin winced at the words, still not used to hearing ‘your wife is missing’. He thought of how just yesterday, he had seen Misoo making crepes in their kitchen. He could still hear her soft voice telling him she loves him. So warm. Like how she was when they had first been married. 

“So do you want two or three eggs for breakfast?” 

“Um… two’s fine.” 

Less than an hour later, Jumin was standing in the conference hall in a rumpled suit next to Saeyoung and Yoosung. There was a crowd of reporters seated in front of them, their cameras at the ready. Behind Jumin was a large missing persons poster, with Misoo’s face splashed across the front. He suspected Jaehee had sent the police the picture, because he didn’t send them that picture. It was as if he could feel her eyes boring into his back, just from the photograph alone. 

Jumin looked out into the crowd of faces before him. He spotted Jaehee, sitting off near the back, phone and notebook in hand. She wasn’t wearing her glasses today. When she met his eyes, she gave him a small smile of encouragement, but the knot in his chest didn’t loosen at all. 

“Hello everyone, thank you all for coming,” Saeyoung began, looking out at the reporters. “I’m Detective Choi Saeyoung, head of the investigation into the disappearance of Chung Misoo. We are joined here by Mrs. Chung’s husband, Han Jumin, so I will leave the floor to him.” Saeyoung stepped away from the microphone and gestured for Jumin to take his place. 

Jumin felt like he was on autopilot as he walked up to the microphone. His face was expressionless, his limbs moving stiffly like a robot. He could practically hear Jaehee’s voice in his mind, telling him to emote even just a little bit. But his face felt frozen as he stared out into the crowd of cameras. He had always hated press conferences. 

“Yesterday morning my wife Misoo went missing. I am not aware of what occurred in our home as I was out at the time, but there was evidence of a break-in,” he began, reciting what Jaehee had told him to this morning on the way to the conference. “As of right now, all I care about is getting my wife home. As anyone who knows her will tell you, Misoo is an incredibly warm and caring person, perfect in every way. So please, if anyone has any information as to where she could be, please come forward. All I want is for her to be safe in my arms again.” As soon as he had finished the speech, Jumin knew he had messed up. He had sounded way too robotic, and his suspicion was confirmed when he saw Jaehee’s grimace in the crowd. 

He could only hope his lack of emotion came off as somber rather than uncaring. 

Turning away from the mic as cameras began to flash, Jumin walked back in front of Misoo’s poster as Saeyoung took his place once more. 

“Like Jumin said, we all want to find Misoo and bring her home. So please call our tip line listed if you have any information regarding the case.” 

From the crowd, voices started to shout. 

“How will this affect your work at C&R International, Mr. Han?” One reporter shouted. 

“Where were you the morning your wife went missing, Jumin?” Another shouted. 

“Detective Choi! Have you cleared Mr. Han as a suspect yet?” A third joined in the fray. 

Saeyoung coughed into the mic. “No one is taking questions at this time, and we are instead focusing on the case at hand.” Cameras continued to flash, the light making bright patterns dance across Jumin’s vision. “We will keep the media updated as the investigation moves forward. Thank you for your time.” Questions continued to be shouted as Saeyoung turned away, and Yoosung corralled the two of them behind the curtain and away from the media once more. 

As soon as he was out of sight, Jumin let out a huge sigh and ran a hand through his hair. He could see the headlines already. **Wife of C&R Executive Currently Missing** He loathed the media sometimes, and they were going to have a field day with this. 

“How do you think that went?” Jumin asked Saeyoung and Yoosung, who were talking quietly to each other. 

“I think it went well,” Saeyoung answered cooly, “short but to the point. Hopefully the tip line will get us somewhere.” 

Jumin opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the shifting of the curtain behind him. He glanced to see Jaehee bustling towards him, phone attached to her ear as she gave him a worried look. 

“Yes, yes I’m here with him now,” she was saying, her heels clicking against the smooth floor. “Would you like to call him on his personal phone or-” she cut off and Jumin watched her as she listened, a sinking feeling growing in the pit of his stomach as he figured out who she was talking to. 

Jaehee held her hand up to the receiver of the phone, and met Jumin’s gaze. “It’s your father. He wants to speak with you,” she whispered. 

Jumin sighed, having known this was coming. He reached forward and took the phone from her, and brought it up to his ear. 

“Hello father.” 

“Hello Jumin. Do you care to explain why I had to find out your wife is missing through a televised press conference?” 

Jumin took a breath. “Everything happened so suddenly yesterday, father. There simply wasn’t time.” 

“Still, you know better than to agree to a press conference on any personal matters without reviewing it with myself and our advisors first. What you have done is extremely foolish, Jumin. The potential backlash this could hold for C&R’s stocks is unfathomable. Not to mention the fact that you didn’t even consult our lawyers before speaking with police-” 

“I felt bringing in lawyers would be an unnecessary move. The police aren’t interested in C&R, they’re trying to find my wife. And I’m here to help in any way I can.” Jumin said these words pointedly, almost daring his father to suggest that there would be a reason besides C&R that he would need a lawyer for. 

Chairman Han was quiet for a moment, before he let out a small breath. “Alright, fair enough I suppose. But that doesn’t change the fact that you did not consult with anyone at the company before holding a press conference for what will inevitably be a PR nightmare.” 

“I wanted to get the word out about Misoo. I knew that if I consulted you on the matter you would be against the idea of a press conference, even though it is the best way to get information out. I’m sorry I didn’t inform you earlier, but I felt this was the best course of action.” 

Jumin heard his father scoff on the other end. “Alright, if you figured this was the best course of action I hope you enjoy the consequences. The media isn’t going to take kindly to you, Jumin. You know that.” 

“Is that all, father?” Jumin asked, keeping his voice level. “Because if you just phoned me to scold me for my improper PR management regarding the fact that my wife is missing, then you’ve accomplished that.” 

It was silent for a moment on the other end. 

“...I am truly sorry about Misoo, Jumin.” 

“I have to go now. I will speak with you later.” 

Jumin hung up without giving his father a chance to respond, and he handed the phone back to Jaehee. Normally, Jumin got along quite well with his father. They had similar minds for business, and rarely disagreed on decisions when it came to the company. However, when it came to personal issues, that’s where things became murky. 

“Are you alright?” Jaehee asked softly, putting the phone back in her purse. 

“I’m fine,” Jumin answered, fiddling with his cufflinks. 

“Daddy issues?” Saeyoung asked from the corner. Jumin glanced up, having not realized he was still there. 

“No,” Jumin said, shaking his head, “I do not have ‘daddy issues’. My father and I simply have differing ideas when it comes to drawing the line between business and personal life.” 

“Oh, that sucks,” Yoosung commented, looking at the ground. 

“It’s fine,” Jumin reassured, decidedly wanting the topic to be anything but this. “So has there been any developments since yesterday?” 

Saeyoung shoved his hands in his pockets, and pushed off the wall to walk towards Jumin. “Yeah, actually there was,” he said in a strange voice. Yoosung moved closer as well, and reached into his own pocket to pull out what looked like a creamy blue envelope. He handed the envelope to Saeyoung, who held it up for Jumin to see. 

“Do you have any explanation as to why there was an envelope labeled ‘Clue One’ in your wife’s dresser?” He asked. 

Jumin stared at the neat cursive on the front of the envelope and felt his heart stop. 

“This… Misoo did this,” he said quietly, reaching for the envelope. “Every year, for our anniversary she would put together a treasure hunt. She would leave me clues as to where to find the next one, until I got to the end where my gift was. I guess this was the start of this years hunt.” 

“Would you mind, uh, opening it and trying to figure out where the next one is? If we could track Misoo’s movements leading up to her disappearance, it could help the investigation a lot,” Saeyoung explained, looking a bit awkward. 

Jumin glanced between Saeyoung and Yoosung, before sighing and figuring he had no other choice. He tore open the envelope with fingers numb from the cold of the conference hall, and pulled the letter out to read his first clue.

_Although this spot isn’t one for relaxation_

_It is essential for my hubby’s vocation_

_Do you have time in between calls about banking?_

_I can make it quick, so long as you give me a good spanking_

Jumin flushed as he read the clue, not having expected it to be so… sexual. While Misoo wasn’t shy whatsoever about those things, she normally didn’t include them in her anniversary treasure hunts.

“What does it say?” Yoosung asked, curiously leaning towards the letter. When he read the short rhyme, his cheeks flushed bright red and he glanced away. “Oh.” 

Saeyoung stepped over to read the letter as well, but unlike Yoosung he didn’t react to the sexual tone of the poem. 

“Do you know where this is telling you to go?” He asked, folding his arms across his chest. 

“I… I think I do,” Jumin said, narrowing his eyes at the poem. It was usually not this easy. He usually struggled horribly with all of Misoo’s clues, which in turn made her frustrated that he couldn’t get them, and then they were both upset for no good reason on their anniversary. “I believe this is referring to my office at C&R.” 

Saeyoung raised a brow. “Guess I can’t judge what type of roleplay people are into,” he commented. “Anyway, do you mind taking us to your office to find the next clue?”

♕♕♕

**July 24th, 2015**

_All the time, over and over again, people told me marriage was hard work. You had to communicate, you had to learn to work things out together, you had to learn to respect each other. Basically, what I learned from everyone around me was that marriage was relationship suicide. _

_But for me and Jumin, things have just been… good. Well, more than good, things have been great. _

_I don’t know if we just have a better understanding of each other than most couples do, but we just had our one year wedding anniversary a few weeks ago and we haven’t really had any rough patches yet. _

_Since I started working at C&R, we’ve been seeing each other a lot more during the day. I either see him when I translate for him or for Chairman Han during conferences, or I see him every so often when he passes by my desk ‘accidentally’. He distracts me from translating the emails from our Chinese contemporaries, but I can’t resist him. Besides, it’s not like I can get fired for being a bit too chummy with my husband, considering my husband is the boss. _

_Nepotism at its finest. Haha. _

_But the point I’m getting at is that even though we see each other during the day at work, and then at home together in the evening, we don’t run into any problems. In fact, we’re both happy that we get to see each other during the day as well as in the evenings. Because unlike so many couples we know, we actually enjoy being around each other. _

_This year for our anniversary I decided to set up a treasure hunt. I wrote down little clues for Jumin and stood by him as he read each one, figuring out where the next one led to. I took us on a tour of places that are special to us. We got to reminisce on our relationship as he followed the hunt, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m definitely going to do it again next year. _

_At the end, we presented our presents to each other. His present to me was a beautiful pair of red high heels, which made me laugh. He was confused as to why I was laughing until I showed him my present: a long length of red ribbon that perfectly matched the red of the high heels, along with a book on shibari. _

_Are we a conventional couple? No. But do we know how to indulge in our vices? Absolutely. _

_Here’s to one year of bliss, and the many years to come._

♕♕♕

All eyes were on Jumin as he walked through the familiar halls of C&R’s main office building with two police officers trailing behind. Every time he entered another room dozens of eyes would glance up, the elephant in the room so glaringly obvious it was painful to ignore.

Still, Jumin ignored that elephant the best he could. All he would get was pity, and he loathed pity. His wife was missing, yes, but that wasn’t an excuse to gawk. 

Jumin hated when his personal issues interfered with his business. Like when Misoo still worked at C&R, and the two of them would be in an argument and the entire office was aware of it because of the dirty looks Misoo would constantly shoot his way. It distracted everyone around, including himself. 

As he approached the doors to his personal office, his secondary assistant noticed his arrival, and nearly jumped out of his seat. 

“Mr. Han!” Assistant Kim Hajun said, pushing himself to his feet. “I-I wasn’t expecting you to be coming to the office, what with the press conference this morning and all.” 

Hajun was a good assistant. Not as much of a powerhouse as Jaehee, but he got his work done correctly and on time. He took care of a lot of the extraneous paperwork Jaehee didn’t have time to complete on top of her assignments. He also liked cats. This way, Jaehee was able to have a normal sleep schedule and life outside of the office, while Jumin had someone to talk about his cat projects with. It was a good system. 

“Assistant Kim, I’m not here for work. I’m here with the lead Detective on Misoo’s case as part of the investigation into her disappearance. We believe she might’ve come here not long before she went missing,” Jumin explained as he brushed by Hajun’s desk. 

“Alright sir, let me know if you all need anything!” Hajun called as the door to the office closed behind them. 

At first glance, Jumin’s office seemed just how he left it. The half empty water bottle, his screen saver bouncing around his computer monitor, the tie he stained a few days prior still hanging on the back of his chair. But then Jumin noticed the creamy envelope sitting upright in his keyboard, the words ‘Clue Two’ visible in dark ink across the front. 

“You were right,” Saeyoung commented, picking up the letter and handing it to Jumin. 

Jumin opened the letter, revealing his wife’s looped handwriting.

_I have an idea, let’s run away_

_Like old-fashioned spies—we’ll make it a date_

_You know the spot: we’ve walked the trees in our dreams_

_Meet me here soon, and we’ll begin our schemes_

He knew where it was supposed to lead him to. The line, ‘trees in our dreams’ made it obvious. However, Jumin kept his expression neutral as Saeyoung peeked over his shoulder to read the clue himself.

“Do you have any idea what it means?” Saeyoung asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Jumin found himself shaking his head. “No, I don’t.” 

Saeyoung pursed his lips. “Well, I’m going to need to take it for evidence anyway. If you figure out where it leads though, let me know,” he said, taking the envelope out of Jumin’s hand and placing it into a ziplock bag. 

“Uh, guys? I think I found something,” Jumin and Saeyoung both looked up at Yoosung’s nervous voice. He was standing near Jumin’s filing cabinet, eyes wide as he stared at a long length of red ribbon, tied into the shape of handcuffs. 

Jumin felt his cheeks go hot as both police officers gave him curious looks. “You both read the clue. I believe Misoo left that in here for me to find,” he explained, eyes locked onto the ground. 

“You guys are into some kinky shit,” Saeyoung muttered, probably not intended for Jumin to hear. “Alright, Yoosung bag it. We’re gonna take that in for evidence also.” 

There was a little more searching around the office, but nothing else of note was found. Jumin was eager to leave the office as soon as possible, wanting to go straight to the location the clue had told him to. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t want to tell Detective Saeyoung, he just wanted to find this note by himself. Misoo’s letters were for him, not for anyone else to see. 

Once Saeyoung had declared their time in Jumin’s office to be finished, he announced that they all needed to return to the station together to go over some more details about Misoo. Jumin updated Jaehee through a quick text, and didn’t speak much as the three men made their way back to the police station. 

Everything felt like it was happening so fast. Misoo was missing, they had a press conference, search parties were already being organized, and Misoo’s treasure hunt was still going on despite all of this. Jumin wished he could just press pause on everything, just for a moment, so he could try to get his head on straight with all of this. He knew he wasn’t reacting correctly. He knew those around him were getting suspicious for his lack of a reaction. Misoo had never minded his robotic nature. Of all the things she judged him for, she never judged him for his difficulty in expressing emotions. It was one of the many things he had loved about her when they first got married. 

A part of Jumin wondered what Misoo would think if she could see him right now. She would probably be disappointed he hadn’t taken more extreme measures to find her. But she would be proud of him for standing up to his father. A mixed bag, of sorts. 

Soon enough, they were back in the interrogation room from the day prior, and Jumin decided his didn’t like this place. It made him anxious, the heavy gazes of the two officers making it feel as if bugs were crawling under his skin, only amplified by the bright fluorescent lights overhead. 

The three of them were awaiting for the arrival of one more person. Saeyoung had requested the personal files of Misoo, which were held by Jaehee. So Jumin had called his assistant to come join them, with the files in tow. 

As usual, Jaehee was prompt. She entered the interrogation room, being led by another officer, and she sat down beside Jumin. His breath came a little easier with her here. He felt a bit less like he was under the lens of a microscope with her by his side. 

“I’m Kang Jaehee, we saw each other this morning,” Jaehee introduced herself to Saeyoung and Yoosung, setting the files down on the table in front of her. “I’m Mr. Han’s executive assistant.” 

Saeyoung nodded. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Detective Choi Saeyoung, and this is Officer Kim Yoosung. Is it alright if we call you Jaehee?” Jaehee nodded and Saeyoung folded his hands in front of him. “Great. So Jaehee, Jumin told us you have Misoo’s personal files?” 

“Yes, I brought her legal records as requested,” Jaehee said, pushing the file towards Saeyoung. Taking the file, Saeyoung opened it up and began to leaf through the papers. It was quiet as he flipped through the pages, and after a moment his eyes widened. 

“It says here she had a restraining order against a woman named Kim Rika?” Saeyoung asked, frowning at the paper. “Do you know anything about that?” 

Jumin sighed and nodded. “Yes. Misoo had been in a relationship with Rika when they were both in high school. Misoo told me that Rika became obsessed with her as the relationship progressed, and when Misoo attempted to break up with her, Rika physically attacked her. She never pressed charges, but filed a restraining order.” 

“You said this was high school?” Jumin nodded, and Saeyoung pursed his lips. “Has anything recent happened with Rika?” 

Jaehee then piped up. “I believe she moved to Incheon a few years ago, which is only an hour train ride to Seoul.” 

“But no contact?” Saeyoung asked. 

“I believe she wrote Misoo a letter a few years ago,” Jumin explained. 

“But nothing within the past year?” Both Jumin and Jaehee shook their heads. “Alright then.” Saeyoung turned back to the file and read in silence for a few more minutes. 

“Okay, do you know anything about a ‘Francis Stark’?” Saeyoung asked Jumin. 

Jumin shook his head. “I’ve never heard that name before in my life.” 

“Well it appears about 8 years ago, Misoo pressed charges against this ‘Francis’ for assault, but later dropped them.” 

Jumin’s head whipped over to Jaehee. “Did you know about this?” 

Jaehee shook her head. “I had access to Misoo’s files but it’s not like I read through them. I never had any reason to.” 

“What were the assault charges for?” Jumin asked. 

Yoosung leaned over to look at the files before shaking his head. “It doesn’t say. Just that the charges were dropped.” 

“This was only a year before we met,” Jumin muttered, fiddling with his cufflinks. “I can’t believe Misoo never told me about this.” 

“8 years ago is still a very long time, and if she hasn’t mentioned him to you since, I think it’s safe to say there’s been no further contact,” Saeyoung pointed out. Jumin shrugged, figuring the logic made sense. 

“Is there anything else of note in her files?” Jumin asked. Saeyoung flipped through the rest of the pages quickly, before shaking his head. “So what steps do we take from here?” 

“We want to search the outskirts of the city, see if anything turns up there. We’re organizing a search party for tomorrow, and the station is already setting up a volunteer center. Until then, the only thing for you to do is try to figure out that clue,” Saeyoung explained, pushing himself out of his chair and rising to his feet. 

Jumin and Jaehee mirrored his movements. “We will both see you tomorrow then,” Jumin said, bowing at the officers. “I’ll let you know if I figure anything out.” He and Jaehee both turned to leave. 

“Try to get some rest tonight!” Yoosung called as they walked out the door. 

Jumin waved in thanks for the sentiment, and Jaehee closed the door once they stepped out.

♕♕♕

**November 30th, 2016**

_Want to test a marriage for weak spots? Work stress will do the trick. _

_But not just any work stress. It has to be the big kind. The ‘I just had to lay off almost a quarter of my divisions employees’ kind of stress. _

_C&R isn’t going to go down. We know that. But this is still a huge problem. A major investor pulled out after a new brand Chairman Han tried to start completely tanked. It wasn’t Jumin’s fault, but he’s still feeling the heat. _

_I keep trying to reassure him that it will be alright, that he’ll work things out because I know he will. But he seems to believe it less every time I say it. _

_And to top it all off: Elizabeth the 3rd has gone missing. _

_No one knows how she got out. We live in a penthouse for crying out loud. You’d think it’d be impossible for a cat to escape, but it appears not. We have everyone on staff looking for her. You would think this would make Jumin go completely into panic, given how much he loves that cat, but after the first few days he seemed to calm down. _

_He’s more worried about me, than Elizabeth it seems. Despite the fact that I’m not a cat and won’t ‘get lost’, Jumin seems insistent on knowing where exactly I’m going and how long I’ll be gone every time I leave the house. Like I’m a child, or a thing he doesn’t want to lose. I don’t know where this paranoia came from. Perhaps there was some threat against us that he doesn’t want to tell me about? He is a public figure after all, it wouldn’t be completely unlikely. _

_But I don’t know. _

_It’s not alarming. Jumin’s always been a bit of a control freak. I think his need to be in control at all times has just been worsened with the stress of Elizabeth being gone combined with the stress of work. He doesn’t want to panic about Elizabeth since he knows it will do no good until we find her, so he’s projecting that worry onto me. The other woman in his life. _

_I know we’ll find Elizabeth soon. That cat may have been pampered, but she’s smart. She’s either going to find her way home, or one of our employees is going to find her soon enough. _

_I just hope Jumin’s stress doesn’t worsen. I’m tired of being treated like I’m made of glass._

♕♕♕

Night had fallen by the time Jumin had made it to where the second clue led.

Stepping out of his car, Jumin adjusted his tie as he looked over the small, traditional styled house. It was one of his and Misoo’s vacation homes, only half an hour out from Seoul. It was by no means their favorite, but it was nice for a short getaway on a weeknight. 

The reason Jumin had known this was where the second clue was leading him to was because of the line about trees. There were hardly any trees around this home, but one night several years prior Misoo had had a dream that the house was settled in the middle of a dense forest. After hearing about her dream, a few nights later Jumin had a similar one. It was an odd coincidence that stuck out in his memory, so he wasn’t surprised Misoo had included it in her clue. 

Entering the house, Jumin was hit with the smell of dust. Misoo and him hadn’t been there together in over a year, so the maid had stopped coming to clean. Like a snapshot from a happier time, frozen amongst the dust and wilted flowers. 

A rapid beeping alerted Jumin to the alarm system that was kept inside the house to discourage break-ins. He turned to the alarm pad and typed in the security code, expecting the beeping to stop. But the beeping continued as the code was rejected. Frowning, Jumin tried it again, figuring he must’ve mistyped it. But once again, it was denied. 

A loud blaring alarm suddenly sounded, and Jumin winced at how loud it was. The house phone for the vacation home began to ring, and Jumin picked it up, plugging one of his ears to try and drown out the deafening scream of the alarm siren. 

“Hello? I am the owner of this house, Han Jumin. For some reason the code isn’t working, can you please shut the alarm off?” Jumin shouted into the phone. 

“Sir, you’re going to need to verify your identity by answering the security question before I can shut it off,” the operator explained in a dead voice. “What was the name of Misoo’s first pet?” 

“Shit!” Jumin hissed. He wracked his brain, trying to remember what Misoo told him of her childhood. He remembered her mentioning a dog. “Was it, um,” what was that American cereal she had named it after again? “Was it Cocoa Puffs?” 

“No sir, that is incorrect,” the operatore replied. 

“Fuck,” Jumin muttered. “Can you please just shut this damn alarm off? I can’t think with it blaring.” 

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, sir. The police are already on their way.” 

“Is that really necessary? I’m the owner of this house!” Jumin insisted. The blaring was giving him a headache, and he was looking around the kitchen frantically for the clue. 

Finally, he spotted the blue envelope settled against a dusty glass. He grabbed it and shoved it in his jacket pocket just as a figure approached the back door Jumin had entered. 

“You can shut the alarm off, I’m here,” Saeyoung said into his radio. The alarm shut off, and Jumin was finally able to remember that Misoo’s first pet wasn’t Cocoa Puffs the dog, but a cat named Kimchi. 

Goddammit. 

“What are you doing here?” Jumin asked Saeyoung, the envelope weighing heavily in his pocket. 

“I could ask the same to you,” Saeyoung said, leaning against the door frame. 

“This is one of my vacation homes. I come by every few weeks to make sure everything is still intact,” Jumin explained. “Are you following me?” Jumin raised an eyebrow at the detective, and folded his arms over his chest. 

“I’m following possible leads,” Saeyoung explained, not looking like he felt bad about following Jumin in the slightest. “Like you driving off to a random house thirty minutes from Seoul in the middle of the night. That’s a little suspicious.” 

“Like I said, I was just checking to make sure my vacation home was still standing,” Jumin explained, stepping towards the back door. “Let me walk you out.” 

He locked the door behind him, and walked out with Saeyoung to the front of the house where both their cars were parked. 

“Y’know,” Saeyoung said, stopping in front of his car, “for a minute I thought this might be the place of the dream trees. From the clue.” 

“There are no trees here though, as you can see,” Jumin said, gesturing around. “I promise I am working on solving it, I’m just a little stressed right now as you can imagine.” 

“Yeah dude, of course, I get it.” 

Jumin opened the door to his car, and hopped inside. “I will see you tomorrow, Detective Choi.” 

“See you soon, Jumin!” Saeyoung waved goodbye, and Jumin didn’t look at him as he drove off and back to Jaehee’s place. 

Saeyoung was suspicious of him. That much was obvious. Again he had figured this would happen. Jumin would just have to wait until it became obvious he had done nothing wrong. Until then, he would deal with the suspicion with as much understanding and patience as he could afford. 

Jumin wasn’t used to driving, but he managed to make it back to Jaehee’s in one piece. For the longest time, Jumin hadn’t even known how to drive. It wasn’t till after he was with Misoo that she made him get a drivers license, insisting he might need it someday in the event of an emergency. 

Parking the car in Jaehee’s driveway, Jumin shut the engine off and pulled the envelope from his pocket. He checked his rearview mirror to ensure Saeyoung wasn’t still following him, and when he figured the coast was clear, he opened up the letter.

_Picture me: I’m a girl who’s been very very bad_

_I need to be punished. And by punished I mean had. _

_It’s your favorite red room, don’t think this is a bluff_

_Come here and find me, and get ready to be cuffed_

It’s clear from the tone of these clues what Misoo was trying to do. She had known the passion was gone from their marriage, the zest that had kept them so happy the first few years, so she was trying to rejuvenate things.

Jumin read the clue several times over and sighed deeply. He had absolutely no idea where this could be. They didn’t have a ‘red room’ or anything of the sort. Yes, he and Misoo both had unconventional sexual preferences, but they weren’t that extreme about it. 

He didn’t know. He’d gotten further on this treasure hunt than he had in years, but now when it mattered most, he was stumped. She could’ve made it easier on him, but she wanted him to work for this. She had always told him he never had to work hard at something a day in his life, so she was trying to get him to do that now. 

Cursing under his breath, Jumin folded the clue back up and hid it in his jacket pocket once more. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Jumin stepped out of the car and made his way into Jaehee’s house. 

That night, Jaehee made him dinner again and the two chatted about work, ignoring the elephant in the room. Jumin wasn’t sure if he preferred it that way or not, but the entire time he was unable to forget the unsolved clue burning a hole in his jacket pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do yall know how hard it is to come up with those rhymes
> 
> i swear the clues were the main reason it took me so long to publish this chapter I _suck_ at rhyming
> 
> also a lot of my inspo for this comes from both Jumin's route in the game and one of Jumin's bad endings (I think you can all figure out which one) so uhh expect the mature themes to continue!
> 
> anyway I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!!! Please please leave a comment if you did, they really make my day!!
> 
> if you wanna message me on tumblr and ask me questions or just scream about the movie this is based on, feel free to hmu!!  
cactusskiddo.tumblr.com


	4. Flip Phone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The search party sets out, Jumin meets a very friendly volunteer, and Saeyoung starts to notice more discrepancies with Jumin's claims

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hoooo boyyyy quick chapter update I bet yall didn't expect this
> 
> I love writing this fic and I'm finally getting to the good part send tweet
> 
> thank you all so much for your love and support so far!!! hearing your theories or thoughts in the comments makes me very happy and excited which definitely contributed to me writing the next chapter so quickly
> 
> anyway I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!! this is where things really start to get good ;)))

Bright and early the next morning, Jumin found himself being dragged from his sleep, and to the volunteer center by Jaehee. It was a small municipal meeting hall for this sector of Seoul, and different pastries and water bottles were laid out around tables for the taking. 

Strangers milled about the hall. Random people who had decided they wanted to help showed up. Jumin didn’t recognize anyone from his social circles in the mix. They probably decided the better course of action was to donate to the investigation fund, rather than get their hands dirty themselves. 

He spotted Saeyoung and Yoosung quickly in the corner of the room. They were talking quietly to each other, and as they approached, he noticed Saeyoung’s hand slip around Yoosung’s waist. Yoosung didn’t seem to mind this action, and even seemed to lean into the hold. This made Jumin pause, wondering what exactly the relationship between the two officers was. 

“Mr. Han!” A familiar voice called out, distracting Jumin from the two men. He looked over to see Hajun standing in a polo shirt and cargo shorts, three children around his legs and a very tall woman standing next to him. 

“Assistant Kim,” Jumin greeted, walking over to Hajun and his family with Jaehee by his side. “I appreciate you taking the time to show up to help on your day off.” 

“Oh it’s no problem, Mr. Han. Misoo is my friend, I want to help find her,” Hajun explained. Then he turned to the woman beside him who was at least a full head taller than Hajun himself, and he beamed. “Mr. Han, this is my wife, Fenne. Fenne, this is my boss.” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Fenne said, bowing deeply. Her voice carried a hint of an accent Jumin couldn’t quite recognize. Possibly Dutch. “I’m very sorry about your wife.” 

“Um, thank you for your condolences,” Jumin said awkwardly, turning to his cufflinks like he always did. 

“Yes, thank you. I’m sorry but we should probably go speak with the detective and see if there’s anything new,” Jaehee broke in, grabbing Jumin’s arm and pulling him away. Jumin was grateful for the escape. While he enjoyed Hajun’s company, he wasn’t in a place for small talk right now. 

The two approached the officers, with Saeyoung no longer holding onto Yoosung. 

“Good morning Detective Choi, Officer Kim,” Jaehee greeted. 

“Oh, morning guys,” Saeyoung replied. “How have you been holding up?” 

Jumin shrugged as he moved to stand beside the two men. “As well as to be expected, I suppose.” He eyes began to roam around the room once more. “There’s a lot of volunteers here,” he commented. 

“Yeah, I know. It’s crazy,” Yoosung said, “it’s probably because you’re a public figure. You’re not just some random person, you’re someone they’re familiar with.” 

Jumin nodded. “That makes sense.” His eyes skimmed over to one of the pastry tables, where his gaze caught on a woman nibbling on a croissant. She had long blonde hair that fell in ringlets down her back pulled into a ponytail, and was wearing expensive seeming clothes. They were casual, but obviously high quality. She wasn’t speaking to anyone, simply eating her croissant and watching the wall. After a moment of staring at her though, her bright green eyes flashed to meet Jumin’s, and he quickly looked away. 

“That blonde woman, do we know who she is?” Jumin asked, gesturing towards her with his chin. She had gone back to eating her croissant, but something about her gave Jumin an uneasy feeling. 

Saeyoung glanced over and narrowed his eyes. “Uh, we don’t really have the resources to ID every volunteer that shows up, so no I don’t know her. Why? Do you recognize her?” 

Jumin shook his head. “No, I don’t. But she stands out, don’t you agree? I feel like there’s something… off about her.” 

“She could just be a friend of a friend from your social circle who actually wanted to go out and do some volunteer work herself. That would explain the expensive clothes,” Jaehee guessed. 

“I suppose that makes sense,” Jumin sighed and put his hands in his pockets. “So do we have any new information?” 

Saeyoung perked up at that. “Actually, yes we do. I forgot to ask you about this yesterday, but do you remember Misoo ever mentioning a Choi Kyungju?” 

Jumin frowned. “No, I don’t recall someone named that.” 

“What about Echo Girl? Did Misoo ever mention her?” Yoosung jumped in. 

“That pop idol from a few years ago?” Jaehee asked, cocking her head to the side. “How is she relevant to the case?” 

“She’s your next door neighbor,” Saeyoung explained. He hesitated before continuing, and ducked his eyes to the ground. “She also claims that she was Misoo’s best friend.” 

Jumin and Jaehee shared confused looks at that. “Her _what_?” Jumin asked, raising his eyebrows. “Misoo didn’t have a best friend. And even if she did, her best friend was certainly not Choi Kyungju. I doubt she even knew the girl was our next door neighbor.” 

Saeyoung and Yoosung shared looks that dripped with suspicion. “Are you sure? Because-” 

“I’m positive,” Jumin insisted. 

“It could be that this Kyungju simply wants attention?” Jaehee suggested. “Washed up pop idol wanting to get the media’s attention again, and realizes her neighbor has gone missing?” 

“Um, we’ll look into it,” Saeyoung said, frowning at both of them. 

An uncomfortable silence then weighed over the group, making the atmosphere similar to a wet blanket. Jumin glanced to Jaehee, and he could tell she was feeling just as awkward as he was. 

“Jaehee, let’s go check how the rest of the volunteer preparations are being handled,” Jumin suggested, saving both himself and Jaehee. “We will talk to you both later,” he then said, waving goodbye to the two police. 

As the man and woman walked away, Yoosung leaned in close to Saeyoung. 

“I don’t like him,” Yoosung commented, watching Jumin walk away with narrowed eyes, “he’s acting weird. He doesn’t even seem upset. Like, did you see earlier he was talking to that family totally casually?” 

“I mean, he could’ve just been making small talk as a way to say thank you for volunteering,” Saeyoung pointed out. 

“Yeah, but still, he’s got a weird vibe on him.” Yoosung watched as Jaehee spoke to someone unloading more water bottles, with Jumin off to the side. He pulled out something from his jacket, but it was too small for Yoosung to see from a distance. It could’ve been a phone, but definitely not a smartphone. Some kind of fliphone? 

He checked the phone quickly before putting it back in his jacket pocket. Yoosung wasn’t sure if Saeyoung saw, but decided not to comment on it. 

After readjusting his jacket, Jumin wandered over to the balcony doors of the municipal hall, and stepped outside for some breathing room. The morning air was cool against his face, and he sighed as he leaned against the wall, already wanting this day to be over. 

The door beside him squeaked open, and Jumin repressed another sigh as he heard the click of high heels walking towards him. 

“Yes?” Jumin pushed himself off the wall and opened his eyes to see a woman standing in front of him. 

An attractive, middle-aged woman with bobbed hair and black wedges was smiling at him. Her lips were painted with a subtle pink, and her eyeliner just a tad too bold for a daytime look. Fake jewels dangled from her ears, catching in the morning sun and sending light scattering across the wall. 

“Han Jumin,” the woman purred, “I am so sorry about your wife. You must be having a horrible time of it.” She stepped close enough to him to where he could smell her perfume—a thick, floral scent that burned his nostrils. She reached for his hands and he had to fight himself to keep from shrinking back. He knew these types of women. The ones who touched his arms or his hands, leaning against him as they laughed, asking if he wanted to buy them a drink. The flirty women who used to crowd him constantly at any social event, praying he might take an interest in one of them. 

These women had stopped bothering him once he had gotten married to Misoo. But now since she was missing, it appeared they wanted to try again. 

“Thank you. I appreciate your kindness,” Jumin said, stepping back from her. 

“You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to send you a fruit basket. Make sure you’re getting nutrients since you probably don’t have much time to cook a lot of things for yourself.” Jumin stepped back from her again, but she just followed him. 

“That isn’t necessary. I have a private chef-” 

“Oh nonsense, I’m happy to do it,” the woman was still smiling, and Jumin watched her pull her cell phone from her pocket. “Do you think we could, just one second,” she tapped the camera icon and held it up, so it was facing both her and Jumin. “Smile for the camera!” 

He heard Misoo’s voice in his head, telling him, _you need to smile for pictures more_. Something she had often chastised him about in the early years of their marriage, when she frequently attempted to take selfies with him to unpleasant results. 

Remembering that though, Jumin’s brain reacted, and a small, painful, but real smile flashed across his face right as the camera clicked. 

As soon as the woman put the phone down, Jumin realized how bad of a mistake that was. If that picture of him smiling in a selfie with some random woman at the search party for his missing wife got out, the media was going to _crucify_ him. 

“I’m sorry, but do you think you could delete that photo?” Jumin asked the woman. 

She frowned. “What? No it’s a great photo.” 

“No, please. I need you to delete that photo. I can’t have you posting that anywhere,” Jumin said, reaching for her phone. 

She pulled back, giving him a scandalized stare as she stepped away from him. “What do you think you’re doing?” She demanded. The woman didn’t give Jumin a chance to respond before she turned around and pushed her way back into the building once more. 

Shit. He just made it worse. 

When Jumin went back inside the building, the search parties had begun to set out, and the woman was nowhere in sight. He noticed Yoosung giving him a dirty look as he passed by, and knew his public image was just getting worse by the day. 

Jaehee still gave him a comforting smile when she saw him. At least there was that.

♕♕♕

**February 24th, 2017**

_I’ve officially quit my job at C&R. _

_Technically I quit a few weeks ago, but I haven’t had time to write this entry until now. What with the stress of the layoffs and the higher-ups still encouraging Jumin to lay off more, I decided to make it easier on him and give him one less person to worry about keeping on staff. Myself. _

_It’s not like we depend on my income for anything. And it’s not like I absolutely adore my job. So I decided this was the best way to help my husband, at least a little bit. Now one more person who actually needs their job at C&R can keep it. _

_Of course I didn’t tell Jumin this was the reason I quit. I told him it was to work on my novel, so he wouldn’t feel like I was pitying him. If there is one thing Jumin loathes, it’s pity. _

_So for the first time since I was a teenager, I am unemployed. I suppose I’m now technically a ‘housewife’. A descriptor I never thought I would wear, but here I am. Mrs. Chung, homemaker. _

_Our new house is much more spacious than the penthouse, and while this means more room for us, it also means more spots to clean. However, I’ve found I enjoy cleaning up a bit. It helps me to clear my mind. _

_Jumin is still paranoid about me. I thought this would go away once we got Elizabeth home, but she was returned to us in December, and Jumin’s behavior has only gotten more extreme. He demands I let him know several hours beforehand if I plan on leaving the house, even if he’s at work. He’s also talked of putting a tracker in my shoes, as a way of ensuring my safety. _

_I know he’s just worried, but it’s getting a bit much even for me. I’ve refused the tracker idea multiple times, but he keeps bringing it up. _

_Something even more unusual: he’s suggested that he come up with our menu from now on. As in, he decides what food the chef makes for the both of us. We’ve always eaten healthy. We don’t keep a lot of sweets in the house because we’re both trying to keep balanced diets. But now he wants to take it a step further, and decide what I eat entirely. _

_I have told him I would think about it. I don’t think he would insist if I were to refuse. But I know he wouldn’t be happy about it. _

_I wonder what my husband thinks of me sometimes. A part of me is curious if he even sees me as his wife, or as a possession. A porcelain doll he must keep locked in a glass container. Something personal, only for him. _

_I’m just being paranoid. He’s just worried for my safety, nothing more. _

_...I hope._

♕♕♕

The Han residence was still abuzz with activity even 2 days after Misoo’s disappearance. Officers were now taking inventory of everything in the house and comparing it with the Han’s financial records, to account for if anything was missing or not.

Saeyoung walked around the house, checking to make sure every odd scuff or chip was being investigated. This case was… odd to say the least. Pieces were slowly coming together, and if things continued the way they were, the pieces would fall into an arrow pointing directly at Jumin. 

But there was something in Saeyoung’s gut telling him it wasn’t that simple. Of course the husband was the obvious suspect, but Saeyoung’s instincts told him to look elsewhere. The problem was, he had no idea where else to look. 

Jumin was acting strange, but Saeyoung knew some people, especially men, struggled to show their emotions. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the way Jumin spoke or the look he got in his eyes whenever he spoke of Misoo, but Saeyoung couldn’t reconcile Jumin as the culprit for this case. 

Making his way up the stairs to the bedroom, Saeyoung heard a small meow coming from the guest room. He followed the noise, and found Elizabeth the 3rd sitting happily in Yoosung’s lap as the blond looked over what looked like credit card records. 

“Hey cutie,” Saeyoung said quietly, so the other officers wouldn’t hear. He reached down to scratch the cats head, and his heart melted when she pressed her face into his hand. “What are you up to?” 

“Hi, I’m just looking through Jumin’s credit card purchases. You haven’t happened to see any, um,” his face flushed bright red and he lowered his voice to a whisper, “you haven’t seen any gags, right?” 

“No, I haven’t,” Saeyoung frowned, and leaned over Yoosung’s shoulder to look at the paper himself. 

“What about whips?” Another shake of the head and Yoosung sighed. 

“It says here he bought all this stuff, but I haven’t been able to find any of it,” Yoosung said, pointing at the paper. Saeyoung took the list from Yoosung, eyes skimming the list. 

“This is like a list of everything you’d need for a 50 shades of grey style red room,” Saeyoung commented. He didn’t like this. While normally he’d have no problem with this sort of thing if both parties were consenting, with what they were hearing from Echo Girl about Misoo and Jumin’s marriage, it was beginning to seem less and less like that was the case. 

“You don’t… you don’t think he, like, has her tied up somewhere or something, right, Saeyoung?” Yoosung asked, giving Saeyoung a worried look. 

Saeyoung shook his head. “No, I think that’d be extremely unlikely.” He paused, and sat down next to Yoosung, reaching over to pet Elizabeth again. “If you want my honest opinion,” he began, whispering so only Yoosung could hear, “everything about this scene here at the house is telling me this is a homicide, not a kidnapping.” 

Yoosung sighed. “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too but I didn’t wanna admit it.” He slumped against Saeyoung, and Saeyoung pressed a kiss into his hair. 

“I just feel like this case isn’t what we think it is,” Saeyoung muttered. “Like this is way more twisted than it seems.” 

Yoosung shrugged as he pressed a quick kiss to Saeyoung’s lips. “Sometimes the simplest answer is the correct one. You gotta remember that.” 

“Actually I’ve found that’s not really true.” 

Footsteps approached the guest bedroom and Saeyoung leapt off the bed and to his feet. Technically there was a rule at the office that officers weren’t allowed to date each other, and while that wasn’t enforced very strictly, Saeyoung wouldn’t want to give anyone an excuse to give Yoosung a hard time. 

“Detective Choi, that neighbor girl is here again,” the officer said, folding her arms behind her back. 

“Can you tell her that this is a possible crime scene and that she can’t keep showing up here?” Saeyoung sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“She wants to hear an update on the investigation and won’t leave until you give her one,” the woman complained. 

Saeyoung suppressed a groan as he gave a goodbye wave to Yoosung, and left the guest bedroom to tell Echo Girl to leave for the fifth time. 

Something was wrong with this case. Saeyoung just couldn’t figure out what. 

But he was going to find out. He always did.

♕♕♕

Jumin’s body felt heavy as he pulled into Jaehee’s driveway once more. He had been out all day since the search parties that morning, meeting with his father to talk about how things were progressing, checking on the office, continuing to check on the search parties, etc. He was exhausted, and ready for a quiet evening in Jaehee’s home, talking things over with the woman who had slowly become his closest friend.

Entering the house, Jumin saw Jaehee sitting on the couch, watching the TV intently. As soon as he stepped inside though, her hand shot towards the remote and turned the TV off. 

“Jumin, hi,” Jaehee greeted, pushing herself to her feet. She obviously hadn’t wanted him to see what she was watching, but that was fine with him. She was being gracious enough to let him stay in her home. She was allowed to retain her privacy. 

“Hello Jaehee,” Jumin greeted in return, moving towards the couch to sit down on it. “How are you?” 

“I’m alright. Just unwinding after the day,” Jaehee said, sitting down beside him. “What about you though? How are you holding up?” 

Jumin stared at his hands, before dragging them down his face. “I am exhausted,” he said, running his fingers through his hair. “It’s just… so much has happened in so little time. I feel as if I’m stuck on a rollercoaster, and no matter what I do I can’t get off.” 

“I know the feeling,” Jaehee mused. “I would offer to cook you dinner, but I am exhausted as well, thanks to work. The office is not doing well without your presence, but we all understand why you can’t be there of course.” 

“Hopefully this gets resolved quickly, so that we can return everything back to its equilibrium.” Jumin shrugged his jacket off and slung it over the couch, before going to work on his tie. Next to him, Jaehee stared at her lap for a moment before standing up. 

“There are leftovers in the fridge, so please be sure to eat something, Jumin. I’m going to be retiring to my room for the evening. There’s a bottle of aspirin currently calling my name,” she said, a small smile on her face. 

“Good night, Jaehee,” he told her. She nodded at him and turned on her heel, but paused before she could disappear down the hall. 

She was silent for a moment, and Jumin waited for her to gather her words. 

“Jumin, I hope you don’t mind my asking this, but you have been acting a bit… odd the past few days,” Jaehee said, keeping her eyes on the ground. 

“I think you can agree anyone wouldn’t be sure how to act in this situation,” Jumin pointed out. 

“Well, yes of course but…” Jaehee was wringing her hands in front of her, and after a few more moments of hesitation she looked up to meet Jumin’s eyes. “Have you told me everything? I just can’t help the feeling that you’re hiding something from me.” 

Jumin stared at his assistant for a moment. “Of course I have. I’m sorry if I’m acting odd, you just know how I have difficulty expressing my emotions like most.” 

Jaehee’s resolve crumbled and she sighed. “Yes, I know. I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me. I’m just tired.” She turned to leave again. “I will see you tomorrow, Jumin.” 

“Sleep well,” Jumin called out to her as she left. He heard her bedroom door open and shut again, and then he was alone. 

It was then Jumin felt a buzzing in his pocket. He checked the small, secret flip phone he kept there, and typed out a fast respond before hiding it away once more. Then he got up and made his way to the kitchen to prepare himself something to eat. 

About an hour and a half later Jumin was still awake. He hadn’t been able to fall asleep, Misoo’s last clue still bouncing around his thoughts incessantly. Jumin was sat on the couch, elbows on his knees and hands wringing in front of him as the rhyme repeated in his head. It was like a song stuck on loop, but one sung in his wife’s voice that he couldn’t rid himself of. 

He knew Misoo was trying to tell him something. But he couldn’t see what that was. 

The flip phone buzzed, and Jumin’s eyes widened when he saw the text. 

**I’m outside.**

Cursing to himself, Jumin pushed to his feet and made his way to the front door. He opened it slowly, but saw nothing besides the green of Jaehee’s front lawn. He stuck his head out a bit, hearing nothing but crickets. His heart was pounding as he pulled his head back inside, shutting the door and making sure to lock it. 

Just then, another buzz. 

**Back door.**

Jumin rushed over to the back door, peeking down the hall to ensure Jaehee’s bedroom door was shut. He could tell the light was off, and he took a breath before unlocking the door and letting it swing open. 

“Jumin, I’ve been so worried about you.” 

“_Jihyun_, thank god.” 

Behind the door had been a very worried looking V. His hair was a mess, and he had dark circles under his eyes. Though Jumin knew he definitely looked worse, it seemed V had been stressed as well. 

V stepped inside the house, and Jumin shut it securely behind him before throwing his arms around the blue-haired man in a hug. V hugged him back, and Jumin hadn’t realized how much he had missed this until now. 

“I’m so sorry about Misoo, Jumin,” V said softly, running his hands up and down Jumin’s spine. “I can’t imagine what you must be going through right now.” 

“Thank you. It’s just been unimaginable.” Pulling back from the hug, but not letting his arms around V drop, Jumin stared at the man for a moment before letting his resistance drop. He pressed his lips to V’s, and V brought hand up to his cheek, kissing Jumin as gently as possible. 

Jumin had never thought himself a cheater, but throughout the course of his marriage, things had degraded from unpleasant, to unbearable. Within the last year of their marriage, every time Jumin walked into a room he could feel Misoo’s judgemental gaze on him. Disapproving of him, thinking of him as less. Nothing he did for her was enough. She loathed him, and he could tell. 

But V… V had always been there. Since they were children, the two of them had been inseparable. V never judged Jumin for who he was, never disapproved of him. V was always understanding, always loving. 

So one night, he and V had been spending an evening together catching up over a bottle of wine. But then one bottle turned into two, and then three. And that's when Jumin found himself leaning towards V, craving desperately that warmth that he used to have with Misoo. And V had given him what he needed. 

“Here, come in, sit,” Jumin said after he pulled away from his lover. V nodded and Jumin led him to the couch bed. 

Once they were sat down, V kissed him again. His hands ran up Jumin’s arms, and Jumin settled his arms around V’s waist. He had been so _lonely_ the past few days. It was as if he’d been suffocating under the weight of everything, and V was finally giving him a breath of air. 

“I’ve missed you so much,” Jumin gasped as he pulled away from V. “Everything these past few days has been so chaotic.” 

“I can only imagine,” V murmured, tracing a hand along Jumin’s jaw. “Do the police have any leads?” 

Jumin shook his head. “Not really. I can only hope they find something substantial soon.” 

“As do I. I may not have spoken to Misoo much during your marriage, but she was- _is_ a lovely person,” V said, correcting himself mid-sentence. 

Closing his eyes, Jumin let his forehead fall against V’s. He wanted so badly to melt into V’s arms, to forget how much of a mess his life was right now and just focus on the man he was in love with. 

But things were already looking bad for him. The police were scrutinizing him more with each passing day, and unless they found another suspect, it was looking like he might be the center of this investigation. If it was found out that he was having an affair, the backlash would be unfathomable. 

“Jihyun,” Jumin whispered, squeezing V’s hands in his own, “the police are looking at me as a suspect, and it seems their suspicions are only growing.” 

“You? That’s horrible,” V exclaimed. “Do you have a lawyer?” 

Jumin shook his head. “I haven’t hired one yet. I just want to find Misoo, not focus on defending myself. If they want to look at me that’s fine. But if it is found out I’m having an affair…” he trailed off, letting V fill in the blanks. 

“Ah, yes, I see.” V sighed and brought a hand up to push the hair out of Jumin’s face. “We can’t see each other until this has all been resolved I’m guessing?” 

Jumin bit his lip. “I know that is the best option, but I don’t know if I can retain my sanity going through all this without you.” 

V gave him a pained look. “Then we can organize a meeting far away from any prying eyes. One of the vacation houses perhaps?” 

“That sounds like a good plan to me,” Jumin said quietly. 

Looking down at their interlaced hands, Jumin brought V’s up to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to his knuckles. V leaned into the gesture, and although Jumin knew V should leave, he couldn’t bring himself to say the words. 

“Have you told the police you were going to ask for a divorce?” V asked after a few moments of silence. 

“No,” Jumin murmured, “I haven’t. Once again, I have to be very wary of how I appear to them.” 

V rubbed his thumb along Jumin’s knuckles. “That makes sense.” The silence fell over them again, and Jumin could see the gears turning in V’s head. He knew he needed to leave. That was the safest option for them both. 

“I should-” 

“No,” Jumin cut him off. V blinked at him, not understanding. “I mean, yes, you should leave. But I don’t want you to leave just yet.” V seemed uncertain, so Jumin pulled his lover close. “Please, just for a little while. I need you.” 

V let out a soft breath. “Oh Jumin, you know I could never say no to you.” 

They began to kiss again, and found themselves lost in each other. 

A little while later they were lying in bed together, clothes long forgotten and legs intertwined. Jumin knew V needed to leave, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. For the first time since Misoo had gone missing, Jumin didn’t feel overwhelmed. He was warm, tired, and had the man he loved wrapped in his arms. 

He slipped into sleep with both the faces of V and Misoo swirling around his mind.

♕♕♕

**October 8th, 2018**

_These days, I’m not quite sure if I exist. _

_Jumin and I barely talk anymore. When we do it’s either about small, trivial things like the cat, or it’s about… other things. Those of a more sexual nature. _

_It’s like I exist solely as a thing for Jumin to own. He keeps talking of how precious I am, and how he doesn’t want to lose me. He hardly lets me leave the house anymore, and if I do he has to know exactly where I’m going and who I will be talking to. _

_I keep trying to resist. To explain to him that I’m not in danger, that I’m not something he needs to protect. But he refuses to listen. I am his princess of glass, and this house is becoming my gilded cage. _

_The only time he doesn’t treat me like I’m a fragile flower is when we have sex. Jumin has started getting very rough. We’ve always both been into soft bondage, but I’ve never been comfortable with anything more extreme. But Jumin doesn’t seem to be satisfied with this. He wants to take the whole ‘BDSM’ thing even further and make an actual ‘play room’ for us to fulfill our fantasies. _

_His fantasies. Not mine. _

_I’ve noticed him ordering new toys. A gag, a whip, flogger, restraints, the whole shebang. He hasn’t asked to use them on me yet, but I know he will. I wonder if he already has a room set up. One I simply don’t know about. _

_I’m not sure what I’ll say when he does. I’m not comfortable with the idea of pain. I’m not masochistic whatsoever. _

_The more important issue of this diary entry though is that we had a fight tonight. He was leaving to go out to dinner with some businessmen from Japan. He’s been going out to dinner for business a lot lately. More so than he has in the past. Despite his controlling nature, I have to admit, I’ve been… lonely. _

_So when I heard Jumin was going to dinner again, I became the type of woman I used to mock. _

_I asked him if I could come with. In that pouty tone of voice I usually only reserved for when I needed a favor from Jumin. I said I could translate if there was an issue with the language barrier, but he reassured me they were all well-versed enough in English to avoid any translation issues. _

_He turned to leave again, and I didn’t want him to. I wanted him to stop treating me like I was just a doll. I wanted him to acknowledge me. So I suggested the thing that’s been on my mind for a while. _

_I told my husband that maybe it was time we thought about starting a family. _

_Jumin didn’t react well. _

_He began to rant about how he had somewhere to be and that this wasn’t the time for this discussion. I insisted we talk about it and he told me a baby wasn’t a hobby, but I tried to explain that it wouldn’t be a hobby. It would give me some sort of purpose in this life where I feel like I only serve to please Jumin. _

_He asked me if we were really going to be the couple that had a baby to save their marriage, to which I replied by challenging his statement of ‘save our marriage’. Yes we’re having some issues I’ll admit, but I didn’t think we were at that level. _

_I got angry. He tried to leave again and I began to shout. Jumin began to shout in return, and when I tried to stop him from going out the front door, he shoved me. _

_It was a hard shove. One that sent me falling backwards, and I clipped my head on the bannister of the stairs. I was alright, but it still sent me spinning for a few moments. Jumin ran over to help me up and began apologizing profusely, saying he hadn’t meant to use that much force. _

_But what scared me wasn’t that he had shoved me. What scared me was that in the few moments before he helped me up, he had stared at me with this strange look in his eyes. One that showed me exactly what my enigmatic husband was thinking. _

_He wanted to hurt me more. _

_I think I understand my husband’s desire for more… sadistic methods of sexual intercourse now. I didn’t realize this before, but he is a violent man, and he needs a way to get these urges out. _

_I’ve also realized one more thing thanks to this night. _

_I’ve come to the understanding that I am frightened of my own husband._

♕♕♕

The midnight stars glittered overhead in the cool summer night of Seoul. An expensive-looking sports car glided along the empty streets, as Saeyoung and Yoosung headed towards the edges of the city.

There was an abandoned apartment building, a burnt out shell of what it once was, near where the Han residence was located. The place was crawling with squatters, homeless drug addicts and weathered drug dealers alike. A tip from the tip line had suggested the investigation look into that building, as many well-off residents in the area feared the people who made their home there. 

It was hardly a lead, but Saeyoung was feeling restless. He wanted to look at something else besides Jumin. Something that would prove that his gut feeling wasn’t wrong. 

Yoosung, of course, had demanded to come with. 

So now the two of them were going to this abandoned apartment building at midnight, without backup. It was probably really stupid, but Saeyoung specialized in bullshitting his way through really stupid decisions, so it would probably be alright. 

They parked the car a bit away from the building, not wanting to attract any potential car thieves with it. The two men stepped out of the car and made their way to the main entrance, but before Saeyoung could open the door, Yoosung grabbed his hand. 

“Do you think we should call for backup?” Yoosung asked in a worried voice. 

Saeyoung shook his head, and squeezed his hand. “We’ll be okay. I’ll keep you safe with my super badass secret agent training, don’t you worry.” He gave Yoosung a goofy grin, and Yoosung rolled his eyes but smiled anyway. 

“You’re such a dork,” he teased. 

“A dork you decided to fall in love with,” Saeyoung said, waggling his eyebrows. 

Yoosung scoffed but Saeyoung could tell he was much more relaxed now as they pushed opened the door to the building. 

The air was riddled with the smell of mold, dust, and vomit. People were scattered against the walls and on the floor, all in varying states of sobriety. Most of the apartment doors were open, with more drugged up people inside each one. 

Yoosung clung to Saeyoung’s arm as he led them through the first floor. Most people paid them no mind, a few gave them suspicious looks. Yoosung was still in his uniform, so that got the most stares from the squatters. 

“What are you doing here?” A raspy woman’s voice came from behind. Saeyoung whirled around, revealing a woman with sun-tanned skin and faded pink hair watching them. She seemed pretty aware of her surroundings, unlike many of the others, so Saeyoung and Yoosung made their way over to her to see if she knew anything. As they approached, Saeyoung noticed the woman’s arms were covered in numerous bracelets, all intricately designed and surprisingly well-made. He wondered where she got them. 

“We’re looking for a woman,” Saeyoung said, keeping Yoosung close to him as they stopped in front of her. 

“Just give it a few days. She’ll come to her senses and drag herself back home soon enough,” the woman said, taking a drag of a cigarette she had in her hand. 

“No, she’s not- here, can I just show you a picture and you tell me if you recognize her?” Saeyoung asked. The woman raised an eyebrow, clearly suspicious, but nodded. Reaching into his pocket, Saeyoung pulled out one of Misoo’s missing flyers and handed it to the woman. Yoosung turned on the flashlight he was holding and shined it at the poster, and the woman’s eyes widened. 

“Oh, you’re looking for _her_?” The woman asked. Saeyoung nodded and she bit her lip. The nerves bounced off of her, and Saeyoung shared a worried look with Yoosung. 

“Do you recognize her?” Yoosung asked, tapping his fingers against Saeyoung’s thigh. 

The woman nodded. “Yeah, I do,” she said, taking another drag of her cigarette. 

“What did she want? Weed? Pills?” 

The woman looked to Saeyoung, dropping the cigarette and using her foot to stomp it out without breaking eye contact. “She wanted to buy a gun.” 

Saeyoung had to do a double take. A _gun_? 

“What the hell did she want a gun for?” Yoosung demanded. 

“I don’t know. Unfortunately guns aren’t really my thing, so I told her I couldn’t get her one,” the woman said, fiddling with the bracelets on her left arm. “I felt bad though. The poor thing seemed really scared.” 

Saeyoung frowned. “Are you sure this is her?” He asked, shoving the flyer in her face again. 

“I’m positive. You don’t forget a girl like that in here,” the woman said, reaching into her pocket to pull out another cigarette. “Not to mention she was all dressed up in pink. I think it was Valentine’s Day.”

♕♕♕

**February 14th, 2019**

_For Valentine’s Day I thought I’d buy myself a gun. _

_That’s a sentence I never thought I’d hear myself say. But today I got all dressed up and left the house while my husband was at work. I had to go out the back door and climb over the fence to avoid the doorbell camera. It notifies Jumin whenever there’s activity outside our door, so he can always see who comes and goes to our house. Another thing he has for my ‘protection’. Soon enough he’ll have full security cameras installed, knowing him. _

_It’s just for my peace of mind. I hate that I have to say that, but that’s how crazy I’ve become now. I never thought I’d be the type of woman who would do something like this, but here I am. _

_It’s not that I think Jumin’s going to do anything to me. It’s just that… I would sleep better with a gun. _

_I know. That’s pathetic sounding even to myself. _

_Things with Jumin have only been getting worse and worse. He keeps pushing to try masochism/sadism stuff, but I keep refusing. We still have sex, but he’s getting rougher and rougher. It’s only a matter of time before he gets tired of my refusals. _

_He’s getting tired of me. I can tell. I keep trying to rebel against the constraints he puts on me, from what I eat to what I wear to where I go. He’s not happy I don’t want to be his subservient little doll, I can tell that much. _

_But the thing about Jumin is that he’s possessive. In his mind, if he can’t have me the way he wants me, then no one can. He’s never going to ask for a divorce because I am his and he doesn’t want to lose something that belongs to him. _

_Sometimes I see the way he looks at me, when he thinks I’m not looking, and I get scared. Because I can tell, he doesn’t want me around anymore. But again, he can’t divorce me because then someone else will have me, and he can’t deal with that. _

_I sound insane, I know. But I can’t just give up and run away. I married a completely different man than this. He can’t be gone completely. I know my husband is still in there somewhere. I just have to figure out what changed. _

_But until then… a gun. Hopefully when I return to that apartment complex in a few days the woman I spoke to will have one for me. If not, I’m not sure what will happen._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so first off I decided that in this au Rika and Yoosung aren't cousins because that would just complicate things way too much given what my plan currently is and I can't deal with that so anyway just know that
> 
> also holy SHIT this chapter was long so shoutout to my darling friend levi for beta reading it for me at 2 in the morning your time so i can publish it you're a real one babe oh and ofc shoutout to my favorite bitch for letting me read the diary entries out loud to you and having you give me feedback on them ily
> 
> OH AND YEAH JUMIN'S A CHEATER LKDSJFKLDSJFLK so yeah that's where the jumin/v tag is relevant haha bet yall didnt see that coming uwu
> 
> also i promise i dont hate jumin I actually love his character a lot I just need to talk shit about him for plot reasons
> 
> anyway I hope you guys enjoyed~ this fic is a ton of fun to write so please please let me know in the comments what you're thinking so far like with your thoughts and theories and whatever ;) every time I get comments it makes me want to write the next chapter faster so 
> 
> feel free to scream at me on tumblr! I would love to hear from you guys!  
cactusskiddo.tumblr.com
> 
> -
> 
> hi everyone my name is val and i am the aforementioned "favorite bitch" and i've been known to log into cactus's account to fix typos and hijack her notes
> 
> you guys are in for a wild fucking ride. this shit gets so good. trust me i know how it ends lmao
> 
> anyway follow me on [tumblr](https://rfgay.tumblr.com/) bye


	5. Happy Anniversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...a lot happens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u all for reading this weird fic of mine and I hope u guys enjoy it this chapter is where shit really hits the fan 
> 
> i dont have much to say cuz i'm kind of brain dead from writing this but anyway get ready for a wild ride

The sky was a pale grey as the sun began to inch its way towards the horizon. Soft snores echoed through the living room of Jaehee’s house, and as the minutes passed, the sky began to shift from grey to pink. 

Jumin’s eyes fluttered open, and he sighed happily when he saw the head of light blue hair resting on his chest. In his half-asleep state, he wasn’t thinking about his wife, he wasn’t thinking about the complete shitfest that was his life right now, he wasn’t thinking about anything but V, and how in love he was. 

And then, he remembered where he was, and realized Jaehee would be awake soon. 

“Jihyun?” Jumin whispered, bringing a hand up to run his fingers through V’s hair. “Darling you need to wake up.” 

V lifted his head before groaning and shoving his face back into Jumin’s chest. “What time is it?” 

“I’m not sure, but you need to leave before Jaehee wakes up,” Jumin said. 

V shot up at that, eyes wide as he looked around the living room. “I’m so sorry, I forgot where we were.” 

“It’s alright. I’m the one who insisted you stay the night, just get dressed as quickly as you can,” Jumin told V as he sat up, searching for his shirt and pants. He found them piled near the floor lamp in the corner of the room, and hastily pulled them on as V did the same behind him. 

Once they were both dressed, Jumin led V to the back door he had come in. He peeked out the window to make sure no reporters were lurking outside, and when he saw the coast was clear, he turned to V. 

“I will let you know when we can meet again,” Jumin whispered. “Keep the disposable phone on. I’ll try my best to respond promptly to any messages you send me.” 

V nodded and squeezed Jumin’s hands before pressing a quick kiss to Jumin’s lips. “I love you, stay safe.” 

Jumin opened the door behind V. “I love you too. You keep yourself safe as well. Everyone is on edge right now.” V nodded again and stepped outside, and Jumin closed the door as quietly as possible. 

Now in the clear, Jumin leaned against the door and breathed a sigh of relief. 

Then, 

“You _FUCKING_ idiot!” 

Jumin whirled around to the kitchen, where Jaehee was standing in front of the fridge, glaring daggers into Jumin’s skull. 

“Jaehee-“ 

“Don’t!” Jaehee cut him off. “You lied to me, Jumin. I asked you last night if there was anything you hadn’t told me and you fucking lied to my fucking face!” She stormed over to the kitchen counter and slammed a carton of orange juice down. “Excuse my language but seriously, what the FUCK?! You’re cheating on Misoo? With V?!” 

“I can explain-“ 

“How long?” Jaehee demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. “How long has this been going on?”

Sighing, Jumin walked over to the counter Jaehee was at, and hid his face in his hands. “A little over a year,” he mumbled. 

“You’ve been lying to me for over a year? Me, the person who you vented all of your marriage problems to? Me, who you’ve rambled to drunkenly about how much you loathe your father?” Jaehee angrily took a swig of the orange juice. “Why wouldn’t you tell me?” 

Jumin twisted his fingers into his hair until his skull ached. “I knew that if I told you you would make me end it.” Jaehee stared at him, and Jumin looked down at the counter. “I’m in love with him, Jaehee.” 

“And you couldn’t just ask Misoo for a divorce?” Jaehee questioned. 

“I was going to ask her for a divorce the morning she went missing,” Jumin dragged his hands down his face and resisted the urge to groan. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. That was foolish of me.” 

“Yeah, it was,” Jaehee snapped. “Do you know how bad this would be if it got out?” 

“It’s not going to get out-” 

“Come here,” Jaehee ordered, stomping over to the living room. Jumin followed and sat down beside her on the couch, where she was fiddling with the remote control to the TV. The TV flickered to life, and Jumin watched as Jaehee pulled up a recording from her DVR to turn on **Glam News**. 

The woman who appeared on the screen was none other than Choi Glam, a popular TV journalist who was well-known for her reports on missing women’s cases. Underneath Glam was the headline **Chung Misoo’s Husband: Distraught or Uncaring?**. Jaehee pressed play on the recording. 

“Tonight we have an update on the curious case of the ice prince Han Jumin,” Glam began, her distaste already blatantly obvious. “While he already appeared rather detached during the press conference for his missing wife, today at the volunteer center he was reportedly seen schmoozing and casually chatting with everyone around. On the show right now we have Park Jia, one of these volunteers who spoke to Jumin herself. Jia, can you tell me what your impression of Jumin was when you spoke with him?” 

Next to Glam, the woman Jumin had taken a selfie with the day prior appeared on the screen, and Jumin cursed under his breath. She was scowling, and the selfie of the two of them was displayed right beside her head. 

“Of course, Glam. I went up to Jumin to introduce myself and tell him we were all looking forward to see Misoo return home safe and sound, and he seemed very relaxed. Too relaxed for a man whose wife is missing in my opinion,” Jia said. “If I might be so bold, I would even say he was a bit flirtatious.” 

“Who the hell is that?” Jaehee hissed from beside Jumin. 

“Some random woman who was trying to flirt with me and wanted a damn selfie,” Jumin muttered. Jaehee cursed under her breath in response. 

“Look at that picture ladies and gentlemen,” Glam ordered. She was frowning but her forehead wasn’t wrinkling up whatsoever, making her botox obvious. “He is _smiling_. Smiling! At the volunteer center for people searching for his _missing_ wife. If that doesn’t disgust you I don’t know what would.

“Tonight on the show we also have the patron saint for wife killers everywhere,” Glam began, “we have defense attorney Ryu Hyun, more commonly known as Zen on the show tonight.” Next to Glam’s face another box appeared, showing an extremely attractive man with white hair and vibrant red eyes smiling at the camera. 

Jumin had heard of Zen before, but didn’t know much about it. He apparently used to work as a musical actor before suddenly switching to a career in law. He was well-known for defending husbands or boyfriends who had been accused of killing their female partners. Even in cases where the conviction seemed obvious, Zen somehow always managed to swing the jury his way. He was a miracle worker for the damned. 

When Zen appeared on the TV, Jaehee gasped. “I used to be a huge fan of his musicals,” she explained when Jumin gave her a curious look. 

“Thank you for the warm welcome as always, Glam,” Zen said, laughing a bit. 

“So Zen, what are your thoughts on the Chung Misoo case? If this were to go to trial, which I’m sure it will, would you consider representing Han Jumin?” 

Zen’s smile faded and was replaced with a frown. “Jumin? I mean, I don’t rule out any defendant until I talk to them myself, but I must admit it would take a lot of convincing to get me to take on Jumin’s case,” Zen answered, folding his arms across his chest. 

“Wow, even Zen himself is hesitant about taking on Jumin’s case. I must say that is a surprise to me,” Glam said, shaking her head. “When we come back from commercial, we are going to hear from one of Misoo’s childhood friends, so stay tuned.” The screen cut to commercial and Jaehee shut the TV off, leaving them in darkness once more. 

“Jumin, do you see what I mean now?” Jaehee asked, turning to him. “The public is already focusing in on you, and this thing with V is a ticking time bomb. Even Zen said he would have to be convinced to take you on as a client. That means you’re really fucked.” 

Jumin groaned as he buried his face in his hands. “I’m doing my best here, Jaehee. I feel like I haven’t been able to breathe since this entire mess began.” 

Standing up, Jaehee put her hands on her hips. “I need to get ready for work,” she said, running her fingers through her hair. “You should go home. See Elizabeth. Think about where to go from here.” 

Nodding in agreement, Jumin also stood up. He had gotten a text from Saeyoung last night that he was going to be able to return to his home today. He needed to see Elizabeth and just take some time for himself. “I’ll do that. Thank you, Jaehee.” 

“Don’t thank me,” Jaehee said as she walked away, “just try not to do anymore stupid shit when I’m not around.” With that, she disappeared into her bedroom, leaving Jumin with a busy mind and aching fingers.

♕♕♕

Stepping back into his house for the first time since that fateful morning made Jumin feel… weird. The only way he could think to explain it was it was as if he was stepping into a strangers home that looked exactly like his. Or that everything had been shifted by half a centimeter. Nothing was different on the surface, but it was off.

It was the absence of Misoo that did it. As Jumin made his way through the foyer and into the kitchen, he kept expecting to see Misoo. There she was in the corner of his eye, making crepes. Or there she was reading a book on the couch. Petting Elizabeth. Mopping up the floor. Sipping coffee. Every inch of the house was filled with ghosts of her. It made Jumin feel like he was being watched. 

Elizabeth the 3rd was happy to see him. Thankfully her food bowl was kept filled by the police, but Jumin knew she must be hungry for some actual food. So he got to work heating her up some leftover fish their chef had prepared the last time she had been at the house, about a week prior. 

As Elizabeth’s food cooked, Jumin saw many tupperware containers of noodles and soup, seemingly delivered by well-meaning housewives in the neighborhood wanting to help the ‘mourning husband’. 

Ignoring that, he closed the fridge and went to the wine cabinet, searching for a bottle of red. It was still morning, but Jumin’s wife was missing, so he figured it was understandable. 

That’s when he noticed the floor. 

On one part of the kitchen floor, the dark wood was covered with streaks of white. It was in an irregular shape, like a puddle of some kind. Glancing up, Jumin also noticed that the part of the dry wall had been removed. He was pretty sure that was where Saeyoung had put the yellow sticky note that first day Jumin led him and Yoosung around the house. 

Jumin grabbed the wine and poured himself a glass as Elizabeth’s food finished cooking, and set the plate down for her to eat. She ran over as soon as he called her name, and Jumin watched her as she quietly nibbled at the meal. 

“What did you witness that day?” Jumin murmured, rubbing Elizabeth’s ears. She purred and leaned into his touch. Not much of an answer. 

Straightening up, Jumin picked up his glass and walked back to the foyer. He could hear what sounded like voices outside, and cracked open the blinds of one of the windows to see what was going on. 

There were a few news vans parked outside the gate to Jumin’s property. A small group of reporters was crowding around the gate, and Jumin sighed before snapping his blinds shut once more. Damn paparazzi. He wasn’t going to escape them for a while, he knew that much. 

There was going to be a vigil for Misoo that night. Until then, Jumin was going to hide in his house, drink his wine, and make up for lost time with his cat. The last clue continued to circle his mind. It was never going to stop ringing in his ears, not until he solved it. 

Jumin settled in for a long day.

♕♕♕

“Do you wanna go get lunch at that fried wings place?”

Saeyoung looked up at Yoosung from where he had been reading over Jumin’s financial records for the fifth time. “What did you say, babe?” He asked. 

Yoosung sighed and pushed himself out of his chair. He stepped around the desk to where Saeyoung was sitting, and draped himself over his boyfriend’s shoulders. “I asked where do you want to get lunch at?” 

Sighing, Saeyoung took his glasses off to rub at his eyes. “I don’t think I’m gonna go to lunch. I’m not very hungry,” he said, setting his glasses down on the desk. That was true. Saeyoung was so focused on his work that he hadn’t even thought about eating until now. 

“You need to eat, Saeyoung,” Yoosung told him. “You barely had any breakfast this morning.” 

“I know, I just want to figure this out,” he explained. Yoosung deflated a little and straightened back up. 

The TV in the office was on, and Choi Glam’s face was staring right at the two men. Next to her on the screen was Echo Girl, her hands resting on her pregnant belly. 

“Misoo was just such a lovely person. She was so loving and kind to everyone she knew, and wanted nothing more than to make the world happy,” Echo Girl said in between sniffles, fat tears falling down her pale cheeks. “She would love you, Glam, and all you do for women.” 

Glam nodded with a tight-lipped smile. “Thank you, Kyungju. That means a lot. I will continue to fight for Misoo, and for all other women who have been denied justice. Han Jumin will get what he deserves, that’s for sure.” 

Saeyoung turned the TV off. “We don’t need to watch that right now,” he said, sagging down in his chair. 

“She has a point, you know,” Yoosung said, folding his arms over his chest. “Jumin is acting really weird. This entire time he’s seemed as cool as can be about his wife being missing, he said she has no friends when Echo Girl claims otherwise, and then there was that random drive out to his vacation home in the middle of the night. Oh, and not to mention the fact that she tried to buy a gun.” 

“Yoosung, I get what you’re saying, believe me, but I can’t make an arrest off of suspicious behavior. And as for the gun thing, we don’t know who she was afraid of,” he slid down further in his chair, “besides, there’s something telling me that this case isn’t that simple.” 

Yoosung reached over to ruffle Saeyoung’s hair. “You and your gut instincts,” he teased, giving Saeyoung a small smile. 

Just then, the door to the office opened up, and Yoosung’s hand shot back to his side. 

“Detective Choi, I’m here with the luminol results,” the man said, bustling over to Saeyoung’s desk. Saeyoung straightened up in his chair and reached for the papers the man was holding. 

“What’s it look like?” He asked, eyes skimming the photos of the kitchen. 

“I hate to say it but that floor lit up,” the man began, grimacing. He pointed to the bright white streaks spread across the dark wood. “She lost a lot of blood. I’d say according to the trajectory it was blunt force trauma, done with some kind of heavy object like a club. With the amount of blood I’d also say it was probably a head wound.” 

Wincing at that, Saeyoung put the photos down on his desk for Yoosung to see. “Yoosung, did we find anything in the house that could be used as a club?” 

“I’d have to look at the inventory again, but I’ll let you know,” Yoosung responded, leaning over to see the photos for himself. He bit his lip as he noticed the handprints stretched across the floor, as if someone had been physically dragged backwards by their feet and had tried to find something to grab onto, but failed. 

“Does it match her blood type?” Saeyoung asked. 

“We’re testing that right now. We’ll have the results by tonight,” he explained. 

“Alright, thanks Joon,” Saeyoung rested his elbows on the desk and buried his face in his hands. Joon gave a small wave goodbye and exited the office, leaving Saeyoung and Yoosung alone once more. 

“Goddammit,” Saeyoung muttered, staring at the photos. 

Yoosung came up behind him and began to rub reassuring circles into Saeyoung’s back. “I think you need to take a break,” he said quietly. 

Nodding, Saeyoung pushed his chair back and stood up. “Let’s go get lunch then.” 

Neither of them were able to eat much after seeing those photos. But at least they could say they tried.

♕♕♕

The vigil was being held in a small park near the Han residence. Night had fallen long ago, and candles dotted the park like fallen stars. There was a huge turnout of people, most of whom had never met Misoo but wanted to support the case anyway. At the front of this crowd of candle-holders was a white gazebo, where a giant version of Misoo’s missing poster had been set up.

Jaehee drove Jumin to the vigil. She didn’t bring up what had occurred this morning, but she was a bit icier to Jumin than usual. He knew she was upset with him, and he knew he deserved it. He was a cheater. Not too different from his father, who hopped from woman to woman like he was trying on clothes. Jumin hated that similarity the most. 

An hour before he had left for the vigil, Jumin had received a text from his father saying he wasn’t going to be able to attend. Apparently his father had booked a vacation with his new girlfriend just before Misoo’s disappearance, and the tickets were nonrefundable. As if that mattered to the multimillionaire, Jumin knew it was just an excuse to not have to attend. 

Jumin didn’t take offense to this. He knew his father was just unsure of how to deal with this entire situation, let alone how to support Jumin through it. Plus, his lawyers probably recommended he stay as far away from this entire situation as possible. Jumin’s public image may be getting destroyed, but Chairman Han’s certainly wouldn’t. 

News vans were waiting on the street by the park, journalists ready to give reports on the vigil when it began. Jumin kept his head down as he made his way to the gazebo, knowing it would be impossible to deal with the paparazzi right now. 

Saeyoung was already waiting at the gazebo when Jaehee and Jumin approached. He was standing next to none other than Yoosung, and Jumin was certain the only time he hadn’t seen the two men together was that night at the vacation home. 

“How are you holding up?” Saeyoung asked Jumin as he and Jaehee stopped in front of the two officers. 

“That’s… a difficult question to answer,” Jumin said, fiddling with his cufflinks. 

“Yeah, I get that,” Saeyoung said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I’m sure Elly was happy when you came home today.” 

“Elly?” Jumin questioned. 

“That’s what he nicknamed your cat,” Yoosung explained, very purposefully not looking at Jumin. 

“Oh. Well, her name is Elizabeth, not Elly,” Jumin clarified, not sure how else to respond. “But yes, she was happy to see me. Thank you for taking care of her.” 

“We had someone on shift at all times to pet her, because she kept getting in the way otherwise. But honestly it was a nice destressor for the team.” Saeyoung checked his watch before looking up to the gazebo. “It’s time for the vigil to start. Jumin, you want to talk to the crowd?” 

Jumin shared a look with Jaehee, and she gave him a nod. He had to go up there and talk to everyone, despite how much he absolutely did not want to do that. He knew he was going to freeze up again, just as he always did. 

But he didn’t have a choice in this matter. It would look more suspicious if he refused to speak at the vigil. So Jumin took a deep breath, adjusted his cufflinks once more, and made his way up to the mic settled in front of Misoo’s missing poster. 

In the gloom of the evening, with the sun nothing but a memory of deep red in the sky, the candles reflected off the attendees eyes, reminiscent of racoons. Hundreds of these racoon eyes watched Jumin as he unfolded the speech he had prewritten before this from his jacket, and he coughed awkwardly into the mic. 

“Good evening. I’d like to thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this vigil tonight,” Jumin began, practically able to feel Jaehee’s wince at his robotic tone of voice. “As you all know, three days ago my wife, Chung Misoo, went missing from our home. Since then, this community has come together to try and find Misoo, and for that I couldn’t be more grateful.” The more he spoke, the less tense he got. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

Looking into the crowd, Jumin spotted a head of bright teal hair, and felt a wave of relief wash through him when he locked eyes with V. 

“I know there has been a lot of speculation from the community and the media at large, but I just want to reaffirm that I had nothing to do with the disappearance of my wife. I have been cooperating with police fully, and plan on continuing to do so because more than anything, I just want to get my wife home.” From the crowd, V gave him an encouraging smile, and the tightness in Jumin’s chest loosened just a bit. 

“As anyone will tell you, my wife Misoo is… amazing. She is beautiful, kind-” from the crowd, Jumin heard a shrill female voice call his name, but he ignored it and kept going. “She’s extremely caring, and incredibly intelligent. I still feel so lucky that she agreed to marry me-” 

“JUMIN! HAN JUMIN!” From the crowd, Jumin could now see the source of the voice. 

It was Echo Girl. She was pushing her way past the other vigil attendees, hands holding her pregnant belly as she stormed her way up to the foot of the gazebo. 

“WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR WIFE, JUMIN?!” Echo Girl screamed, her watery blue eyes blazing with anger. Jumin blinked at her, unsure of how to respond. 

“I don’t-” 

“STOP BEING A COWARD AND TELL US! WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR _PREGNANT_ WIFE?!” 

The crowd erupted into a disquieted murmur as Jumin stared at Echo Girl. Misoo wasn’t pregnant. She couldn’t have been. She would’ve told Jumin if she was. 

Looking to the side of the gazebo, Jumin saw Jaehee’s expression 

As the seconds ticked on, the crowd began to get louder. Questions of ‘wait Misoo was pregnant?’ and ‘Did you know about the pregnancy?’ get shouted at Jumin. Meanwhile Jumin could only stay frozen as the question repeated over and over in his mind. 

Was Misoo pregnant? 

Suddenly, Jumin’s hand was being grabbed and he was dragged off the gazebo by Jaehee. Reporters from the news vans had already gotten wind of this, and were sprinting towards the gazebo as fast as they could with their heavy cameras and mics. Jaehee’s hand slipped from his as they sprinted, and she was lost in the crowd. 

“This way!” Yoosung yelled, waving Jumin towards a police car. Jumin began to run as the media descended, a series of flashing lights blinding him as questions about Misoo’s pregnancy were shouted over and over again. Jumin hopped into the door of the car Yoosung was holding open, and Yoosung shut it behind them before jumping into the driver's seat. 

It was a struggle to get through the crowd of reporters, but Yoosung managed to get Jumin back to his house in one piece. No one spoke on the way back to the house, the entire car too in shock from what just occurred to really say anything. Reporters were clambering outside the gates, and as Jumin stepped out of the police car in his driveway, he could hear more yelling about Misoo’s pregnancy. Yoosung didn’t even get out of the car, and as soon as Jumin was at the front door, the police car left once more, Yoosung having to report back to handle the chaos at the park. 

Once the door shut behind Jumin, he slumped against the wood and breathed a sigh of relief. His head was pounding, thoughts bouncing around his skull like bullets. Was what Kyungju said the truth? Was Misoo pregnant? Or was it something Kyungju made up? 

It took a monumental effort for Jumin to push himself off the door and walk into the kitchen. His feet felt like they were made of concrete, and he was pushing his way through water. He went straight for the wine cabinet, pulling out the bottle he had been drinking out of earlier that day. Jumin poured himself a glass and downed it in a single go. Then he poured himself a second glass and took a sip of it before setting it down on the counter. 

For what seemed like the millionth time, Jumin wished he could decipher Misoo’s last clue. He was desperate to know what his wife was thinking in the days before she disappeared. Desperate to know the answers to the questions he always wondered about her. What was she thinking? What was she feeling? 

In a way, that was marriage. A constant wondering of what your spouse was thinking, what they were feeling. Trying to unspool the contents of their brain like yarn, thoughts laid bare for true understanding. 

Time passed. Jumin stared into his wine glass. 

Jumin heard the front door open again. He didn’t bother going to see who it was. It was either Jaehee, or Saeyoung and Yoosung, he knew that much. 

“Did you know Misoo was pregnant?” Saeyoung demanded as he walked into the kitchen, not bothering with a greeting. 

“No, I didn’t know,” Jumin muttered, not looking up from his wine. “But do we even know for sure she was pregnant? After all, it was Kyungju who made the claim.” 

“Kyungju is your wife’s best friend,” Yoosung pointed out. 

Jumin shook his head. “I’m telling you, she was just making that up. I never heard Misoo mention her, not once.” 

“Really?” Saeyoung questioned, reaching into his jacket pocket. “Because they look like pretty good friends to me.” He pulled out a stack of pictures and laid them out on the counter in front of Jumin. 

All of them were photos of Misoo and Kyungju together. There was Misoo and Kyungju laying out at the beach together, Misoo’s face half-obscured by a large sun hat. There they were posing in front of an ice cream shop, Misoo smiling brighter than she had in years. The two of them sitting on a couch drinking wine, out to dinner at a nice restaurant, on a train going somewhere only they knew. 

“These… these can’t be real. They have to be photoshopped or something,” Jumin stammered. 

Saeyoung crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. “Really Jumin?” Jumin met his gaze and he sighed, before motioning to Yoosung. Yoosung pulled out a manila folder and set it down in front of Jumin. “Fine, then tell us about these financial records. We have records of credit card purchases for a lot of items we weren’t able to find in your home. Do you know where these things are?” 

Jumin frowned as he opened the folder. He looked through the highlighted portions, eyes widening at the words ‘flogger’ and ‘gag’ and ‘X-frame’. “I-I didn’t buy any of this,” Jumin stammered. 

“Looks like the makings of a pretty intense bdsm dungeon, wouldn’t you say?” Saeyoung asked. 

Cheeks flushed bright red, Jumin glared at the detective. “I didn’t purchase any of this. This is identity theft!” 

Raising an eyebrow at him, Saeyoung just stared him down. Jumin didn’t flinch from his gaze, and after a moment Saeyoung turned around, walking towards the coffee table that had been tipped over that fateful morning. The glass had been cleaned up, and the table had been set back in its place despite no longer having any glass in it. 

“From the minute we got here, this whole thing looked weird as hell,” Saeyoung started, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Like this coffee table? It’s pretty heavy, isn’t it?” He lifted up the edge of the coffee table, grunting with the effort. Then he let it drop back to the floor with a loud thud. “It would take a lot of effort to tip this over. Yet somehow these,” he pointed to the framed photos on the mantle of the fireplace, and stomped his foot hard onto the ground, sending the pictures falling over. “These photos stayed upright the whole time. A little weird, don’t you think?” 

Jumin wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so he remained silent as Saeyoung stalked back towards the kitchen. 

“I had forensics run a luminol test in the kitchen right here,” he said, pointing to the weird white staining on the hardwood floor. “I hate to say it but this place lit up.” From next to Jumin, Yoosung set down the photos from the luminol test. Jumin felt bile rise in his throat when he saw the handprints. 

“It was Misoo’s blood type, AB positive,” Yoosung added. 

“Misoo lost a lot of blood here,” Saeyoung said, pointing to the floor, “we think she was struck by something in the head, and then someone went through and tried to clean it up. Then, they flipped over the coffee table to make it look like a fight happened.” 

“Why would they go through the trouble of cleaning up the blood just to make it look like a break-in though?” Jumin asked, frowning at the detective. 

“Because signs of a fight with no blood and no body suggests kidnapping, which tells us to look at people outside the home,” Saeyoung said, leaning on the counter. “But signs of a fight and blood? That suggests homicide, and tells us to look at people inside the home.” 

“Homicide? What the hell are you implying, Detective Choi?” Jumin challenged, his voice getting louder as he pushed himself to his feet. 

“Let me just lay out a theory for you,” Saeyoung retorted, his voice rising to match Jumin’s. “You wanted a wife who you could control. Someone submissive and into the same kinky shit you are. But you wanted more. Kyungju told us that Misoo told her you had to know wherever she went. You even tried to control what she _ate_.” 

“What? I didn’t do any of that!” 

Saeyoung ignored him and kept on. “And the more Misoo fought you on this, the more you got upset. You even physically assaulted her at one point.” 

“What? I would never hurt Misoo! What the fuck are you talking about?!” Jumin was shouting now, but Saeyoung didn’t flinch. 

“Was it the pregnancy that set you off? You knew you were never going to be able to have the kind of life you wanted, and all your anger just boiled over?” Saeyoung and Jumin were face to face, and from the corner of his eye Jumin noticed Yoosung put a hand on his holster. 

Then, a ringing. 

Stepping back, Saeyoung pulled his phone from his pocket. He pressed the answer button and held it to his ear, nodding and muttering a few yes’ and thank you’s. After a few moments, he hung up and looked Jumin dead in the eye. 

“We just got her medical records back,” he said quietly. “She was pregnant.” 

Picking up the wine glass, Jumin slammed it on the ground, and the shattering echoed throughout the kitchen. 

Saeyoung looked at the glass, and then looked back up to Jumin. “Where we go from here is-” 

“No,” Jumin cut him off, glaring at the man. “I don’t want to speak to you, or any police officer _ever again_ without a lawyer present.” 

Saeyoung and Yoosung shared a look that Jumin couldn’t decipher. 

“Now get the fuck out of my house,” Jumin hissed. 

Neither Saeyoung or Yoosung said anything more as they left the kitchen, the front door slamming shut behind them, leaving Jumin alone once more.

♕♕♕

It wasn’t too long after Saeyoung and Yoosung left that the front door opened again.

Since the officers had left, Jumin had been pacing around his house, arguing with his father on the phone. 

“No father, for the last time I wasn’t aware of Misoo’s pregnancy,” he was saying as he paced across his bedroom floor. He heard footsteps and glanced up to see Jaehee standing in the doorway, a worried expression on her face. 

“Jumin, this entire situation has turned into the worst PR nightmare imaginable,” Chairman Han told him. 

“I know what a PR nightmare this is. Believe me, I’m living it!” Jumin yelled. 

“You should’ve listened to me from the beginning and contacted a lawyer,” Chairman Han mused. “Why would Misoo not have told you she was pregnant?” 

“I don’t know! That’s what makes the least sense of all this!” Jumin exclaimed. Jaehee stayed quiet as she watched from the doorway. After a moment of silence on the other end, Jumin sighed and collapsed onto the bed. “Do you want to know the truth of it? In all honesty, Misoo didn’t want kids.” 

“...ah,” Chairman Han was quiet for a few moments. “This is a complicated situation, but it’s nothing we can’t handle, Jumin. I have to be going now, but make sure you contact a lawyer.” 

“Don’t worry, I plan to,” Jumin said. He locked eyes with Jaehee. “I will talk to you soon, father.” Without waiting for a goodbye, he hung up. 

“Jumin, you always told me you were the one who didn’t want kids,” Jaehee said quietly as Jumin threw the phone on the bed behind him. 

Burying his face in his hands, Jumin groaned. “I know, that’s because Misoo was embarrassed and didn’t want anyone to know.” 

Jaehee stepped into the room to go sit beside Jumin, before noticing a small shoebox flung near the door. Frowning, she bent down to pick it up, and Jumin couldn’t bring himself to try and stop her as she opened it up. 

Picking up a piece of paper at the top, her frown deepened. “A ‘notice of disposal’ from a fertility clinic?” She moved to sit down beside Jumin, and met eyes with him for an explanation. 

“There was a period of time we were trying to get pregnant, and we were having trouble so I suggested we try IVF. We made the appointment and I did my part, but when it came for Misoo to do what she needed to do, she hesitated. Less than a year ago we got that notice in the mail that the clinic was going to destroy my samples if we didn’t do anything with them. I left it on the table for Misoo to find, and the next day I found it in the trash. That was our only communication on the subject,” Jumin explained. 

“This notice is from September. You were already with V by then, weren’t you?” Jaehee asked. 

Jumin dragged a hand down his face. “Yes, but I still wanted a baby with Misoo. A year ago, if she had been pregnant everything would’ve been fantastic.” 

Jaehee set the paper down and looked back to the box. She pulled out a letter, narrowing her eyes at the address. “This is the letter Rika wrote Misoo a few years ago.” Jumin nodded and Jaehee gave him a weird look before digging further into the box. She pulled out another small piece of paper and read it to herself. “This is the treasure hunt clue that led you to the dying rose bush.” Jumin nodded again, and Jaehee pushed the box aside. 

“What the hell is this? It’s like a little box of hate you have for Misoo.” 

“I don’t know, Jaehee. Maybe I do hate her,” Jumin mumbled, hunching over and running his fingers through his hair. 

Jaehee was silent for a moment. She stood up from the bed and began to pace back and forth, her hands flitting at her sides, full of nervous energy. 

“Jumin, you have been acting really weird since this all started,” Jaehee stated, not looking at him. “I know you go robotic when things get bad, but it’s like you don’t even care at all that she’s missing. Not to mention all the lying you’ve done. You’re not acting like the man I’ve worked for for years.” She paused, and brought a hand up to her head. “Sometimes I just…” she trailed off, stopping in her tracks. 

“What?” Jumin asked, standing up. “What were you going to say, Jaehee?” 

Jaehee turned to look at him, the pain her eyes obvious. Instead of answering, she turned on her heel and left the bedroom. Jumin followed her, watching her as she walked down the stairs towards the front door. 

“Were you wondering if I killed my wife?” Jumin challenged, his voice booming around the foyer. 

“I would never ask you that, Jumin!” Jaehee called back. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and Jumin didn’t say anything as she opened the front door and walked out, slamming it shut behind her. 

Alone once more, Jumin pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned loudly. Everything was going to shit. _Everything._ Misoo had never been more present in his life since they’d gotten married until now, and she wasn’t even here. His every waking thought was consumed by her.

She followed him, like a spectre. With every new reveal, Jumin felt his emotions about Misoo rise up from the grave. His anger towards her, his hatred of her, his love for her. He missed her. He missed her so badly it hurt. Despite all the hell she’d put him through, and how miserable his life was with her, she was still a constant in his life. One he’d never counted on not having by his side, even if it was to only cause him pain. 

More than anything, he wanted answers. 

Making his way down to the kitchen, Jumin saw the glass from earlier and sighed. Elizabeth had been hiding in the bedroom since that incident, so at least he didn’t have to worry about her hurting herself. 

Reaching for a broom, Jumin began to sweep up the pieces. The shards glittered in the soft light of the kitchen, floating in the red wine reminiscent of blood. Jumin remembered the luminol photo Yoosung had showed him, and imagined Misoo laying on the kitchen floor, blood pooling out behind her head like this red wine. He pictured tears streaming down her face as she crawled across the wood, silently mouthing ‘Jumin Jumin Jumin-’ 

He dumped the glass in the trash, and tore off a few paper towels to wipe up the wine. Once he threw those away, his eyes caught on the drawer underneath the paper towels, and he hesitated. Pulling it open, he lifted the final clue out from where he’d placed it there earlier for safekeeping. 

His eyes skimmed over the clue he already memorized. He had to figure this out. 

Grabbing a notebook and a pen, Jumin sat down at the dining table with the clue in front of him. He read each line, writing out possibilities for what it could relate to. Punished obviously was implying BDSM, and so was being ‘cuffed’. But what kept tripping Jumin up was the line ‘your favorite red room’. They didn’t have a red room, Misoo knew that. They had joked about having one in the past, but it was never something that came to fruition. 

Once, they had been visiting a property the Han’s owned but never really used. It was meant to be rented out, but after the last residents had moved out a long while ago, the house was simply forgotten about. It wasn’t like they needed the extra money, but it was too much effort to go through and sell it. One time, Jumin had taken Misoo to the property that was only twenty minutes from their house. She had commented about how the unusually large basement would be perfect for a ‘red room’ if they ever desired one. Jumin had laughed and told her they could make a much better one in their own home if she ever expressed a want for one. 

The pen Jumin was holding fell to the floor. That was it. That was where she was leading him. Their red room that never was. An inside joke, one only Jumin would get. 

He hadn’t thought about that property in years. It was a miracle he remembered that comment of hers at all. 

Bolting upright, Jumin clutched the clue in his hand as he ran for the front door. He had to go to the old house right now. This was what Misoo meant. He knew it. This was where she wanted him to go. 

Grabbing his car keys, Jumin didn’t bother taking anything but his phone as he rushed out of the house and to his car.

♕♕♕

“Why are we here again?”

Saeyoung moved the flashlight over to Yoosung, the light reflecting off his badge. “We’re here because Jumin came here the other night for seemingly no reason, and I want to know what the hell he was doing here,” Saeyoung explained. 

They were in the vacation home of Jumin’s Saeyoung had followed the man to the other night. His excuse was flimsy at best, so Saeyoung knew full well Jumin had been lying to him when he said he was just checking on the place. 

“Saeyoung, we have everything we need. A motive, blood, fingerprints, why don’t we just make the arrest already?” Yoosung asked from where he was looking through an old bookshelf. 

“Do you know how hard it is to build a murder case without a murder weapon or body?” Saeyoung asked, raising an eyebrow at his boyfriend. Yoosung shook his head. “It’s incredibly hard.” He moved toward a small door near the stairs, and opened it up to reveal what seemed to be some sort of darkened storage room. “I just want one more thing to make this case solid.” 

“What one more thing do you want?” Yoosung asked as he made his way over to the storage room. 

Saeyoung shrugged. “I want a body.” 

He pushed his way into the storage room, flashlight shining off old vases and broken furniture. You’d think for rich people the Han’s would just pay someone to get rid of their junk, but it appeared not. 

Saeyoung had to carefully step over a framed painting that was laying across the floor, and he could hear Yoosung struggling behind him. His eyes darted over every odd lump or weird figure in the darkness, determining each one to not be what he was looking for. 

Toward the back of the room was what seemed to be a water heater and, surprisingly, an old-fashioned furnace. Saeyoung narrowed his eyes at the furnace, and he began to make his way through the minefield of junk to get to it. 

There was a faint flicker of light in the furnace. Saeyoung knelt in front of it, searching for the opening to put wooden logs in. When he found it, he struggled with the rusted handle, but he managed to pry it open. Shining the flashlight inside, at first Saeyoung saw nothing, but then he spotted what looked like a book in the dead center. 

Reaching his hand in, Saeyoung grabbed the book out, the cover crumbling a bit in his grip. Once it was out, he turned the flashlight to it, and began to flip through the ashy pages. While the book was a little burned, the pages were still mostly intact. He could see loopy handwriting dancing across each lined page, and he realized it was a diary. 

He skimmed a few pages, and Saeyoung’s eyes widened as he realized what he was looking at. 

This was Misoo’s diary. 

“What the fuck?” Yoosung whispered from behind Saeyoung’s shoulder, where he was also skimming the pages. 

Saeyoung flipped to the last entry, heart sinking when he saw it was dated from only a week ago.

♕♕♕

**June 28th, 2019**

_I’m pregnant. _

_Yesterday, I woke up feeling nauseous. I thought if I went back to sleep it would just sort itself out, but I couldn’t fall back asleep. I went up to go to the bathroom, and I ended up puking my guts out. _

_So I did the logical thing and calculated when I last had my period. I hadn’t even realized I’d missed it. After that, I went to the store to get a pregnancy test. I came back home, did what I had to, and sure enough there was a little plus sign. _

_I immediately ran over to Kyungju’s house to celebrate. I’ve learned how to avoid the doorbell camera now for the most part, so that wasn’t an issue. I screamed as soon as she opened the door, holding up the pregnancy test like a trophy. _

_It was only later after I got home that the dread set in. _

_I want to be ecstatic at the news. I want to be able to jump for joy and cry out to the world that I’m going to be a mother like I did in that first hour of knowing. But all my excitement is gone. Because I have to tell Jumin._

Jumin pulled up to the abandoned house, checking behind him to ensure no one followed him. When the coast was clear, he hopped out and made his way into the home, closing the door behind him as quickly as possible. 

_Jumin doesn’t want kids. He’s made this clear by now. And a child will just get in the way of the kind of life I know he wants to lead. The way he wants me to be. _

_I’m scared. I don’t want to bring my child into a controlling home like this. This isn’t the kind of life I wanted for myself, and I certainly don’t want this life for my baby._

The house was dark, a thick layer of dust settled over everything. With the clue clutched in his hand, Jumin slowly began his trek to the basement. 

_I’ve made my decision. I’m going to try and leave. I’m going to go up to Jumin and tell him this isn’t what I want, and that I’m leaving him. I’ll stay with Kyungju until I can find another place to settle. I can only pray Jumin doesn’t get violent._

_It’s ridiculous, being so afraid of your husband. But that’s my reality._

The door to the basement was closed, and Jumin’s hand shook as he reached for the handle. 

_Because as disgusting as it is, this husband of mine, the man of my dreams who stole my heart so many years ago, the father of my child…_

Swinging the door open, Jumin reached for the light switch. 

_I see the way he looks at me, and I think to myself,_

As the room lit up, Jumin felt like his entire world was caving in. 

_This man may kill me._

Jumin screamed. He screamed because the basement was not empty like it was supposed to be. Instead, it was filled with everything on those credit cards bills Jumin had never seen before. The things he had sworn he never bought. 

Chains, whips, gags, crosses. The entire basement had been converted into a red room from hell. 

And in the center of it all, was a pearly white box, a letter with Jumin’s name written on the front sitting on top. The anniversary gift from his dear wife. 

Suddenly, it made sense. 

Jumin hadn’t been following Misoo’s treasure hunt. He was _living_ her treasure hunt. A trail of clues she had left for the police to find, all leading to Jumin himself. 

The line from the third clue. 

_Get ready to be cuffed._

Happy Anniversary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHAHAHA DO YALL KNOW HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WAITING TO DO THIS REVEAL NOW WE'RE FINALLY GETTING INTO THE GOOD SHIT 
> 
> also i swear i have a valid backstory to make zen a lawyer i just really needed him in this position 
> 
> but anyway OH BOY NOW THINGS ARE GONNA GET FUN 
> 
> please comment your reactions and if you're confused I promise all will be explained in the next chapter ;) 
> 
> talk to me on tumblr!!  
cactusskiddo.tumblr.com


	6. A Different Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The past three days from someone else's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY GUYS IM BACK
> 
> sorry this took so long, I started uni up again and I was trying to update my other fic 'Can I Interview You?' and I've also just been very busy now that I'm back at school so updates aren't going to be super frequent like they were before, hope you all are okay with that! but yeah I know I left you all on a killer cliffhangar last time so hopefully this clears things up a bit!
> 
> but anyway thank you all so much for the support I've received so far, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter because it is one I have been excited to write since I first started this fic!!

**0 days gone**

You were so much happier now that you were dead. 

Well, you weren’t dead yet. At the moment you were considered missing. Soon you would be presumed dead. Thanks to the nice treasure hunt you left for the police, all the clues are going to point to one man in particular. 

You drove along the freeway out of Seoul. In the passenger seat next to you was a to-do list. The last thing checked off was ‘stage crime scene’. Next to the to-do list was a bag of chips. You hadn’t eaten chips in years. Reaching over, you took a salty, oil-covered piece of fried potato and popped it into your mouth, humming at the taste. It was better than you remembered. 

Checking the time, you realized Jumin should be home already. You wondered if he had alerted the police yet. You were sure you’d hear about it soon enough on the news. 

If all went according to your plan, your spoiled, snobbish, cheating husband was going to go to prison for your murder. Just what he deserved. 

Over your years of marriage, you’d done everything for him. You quit your job for him, you kept yourself rail thin for him, you endured endless nights of schmoozing with rich business people because your husband couldn’t bear to go by himself. And what had he done for you? 

Cheated on you. Replaced you with someone you could never be. The perfect, kind, understanding childhood best friend. The man who never has to ask what Jumin’s thinking. The man who Jumin could never get tired of. Unlike you. 

Jumin took and took from you, wanting you to be nothing short of perfect. Perfectly understanding, perfectly kind, perfectly fucking _perfect_. He took your flaws. The things that made you _you_ until you no longer existed. A shell of your former self. That’s murder. Let the punishment fit the crime. 

It wasn’t an easy thing to do, faking a murder. Once you had decided this was going to be your course of action, you knew it was going to take discipline. Discipline and patience. Thankfully, you had both of those things in excess. 

It began with research. While your husband was away at work, you spent your days reading crime novels and watching crime shows. Your bookshelves were stuffed with murder mysteries, your DVR filled with recordings of Glam News and other shows like it. This was how you learned what to do, and what not to do. You took note of what got people caught, what police looked for in a crime scene, how to make a murder case against someone. You did your homework. 

Once you were familiar with the basics, that’s when you got to work. 

First, you befriended a local idiot. It was just your luck that you happened to be next door neighbors with a washed-up pop idol turned housewife, desperate to relive her glory days in any way she could. It was all too easy to go up to her one day on her morning jog, pretending to be a huge fan of hers and asking for an autograph. She ate up the attention like a pig, and when you mentioned you happened to live next door, she didn’t hesitate in inviting you over for wine, eager to hear more of your praise. 

You listened with rapt attention to the details of her humdrum life. When it came your turn, you crammed her with stories of your husband’s possessive nature and sadistic tendencies. A part of you wondered if you should’ve been an actress, given how great of a performance you gave Kyungju. 

After that, it was time for financial records. You went on dark websites, made for couples with only the most extreme tastes. You bought items that would make a dominatrix blush. All in the name of your dear, sweet husband. Anyone who read the receipts would know of your husband’s fucked up desires. Of course the fool never checked his credit statement, so it’s not like he would notice anything amiss. And everything was delivered to the unused property only 20 minutes away from your home. How convenient. 

The next step was an obvious one. Purchase a getaway car. You managed to find one for cheap on the internet. It was small, simple, and utterly forgettable. While your husband was out on a three day business trip to Hong Kong, you drove out about two hours from Seoul to a nearby smaller city. You wore sunglasses and a hat to conceal your identity as you traded the payment in cash to the drugged-out couple you were buying the car from. Once you secured the car, you dropped it off at a nearby public lot about half an hour from Seoul and parked it in the furthest out corner you could. 

Then your plan took a more personal turn. It was time to make yourself likeable. You needed to be the kind of woman people would truly mourn. And in a society where women were pigeonholed into stereotype after stereotype, what kind of woman did people like most? 

A pregnant woman. 

Like it was really so hard for a woman to spread her legs. The thing that was a real challenge wasn’t getting pregnant, but rather faking a pregnancy. 

Thankfully, at this point your idiotic neighbor was in the expecting mothers department. That made things much easier. 

Faking a pregnancy 101: first, drain your toilet. Second, invite pregnant idiot over to your house. Third, ply her with lemonade until she asks to use your bathroom. Conveniently ‘forget’ about the drained toilet. How embarrassing for both of you! Fourth, reassure your dear friend that she doesn’t have to worry about it and you’ll clean it up. Fifth, steal pregnant idiot’s urine. Sixth, make yourself a doctors appointment, and bring what you need for a urine test. 

Boom. A pregnancy was then part of your legal medical record. 

Then it was the day of your anniversary. Time to make it one to remember. 

First you waited for your clueless husband to start his day. Once he was gone, you staged your crime scene. You figured a tipped over coffee table would be enough to raise suspicion, but you had to make sure to leave a few mistakes here and there. 

After that came the nasty part. You had to bleed. A lot. 

Thankfully you managed to snatch an IV needle and tube while you were at the doctor's office for your pregnancy test. If you hadn’t found that, you would’ve had to just stab yourself in the arm which wouldn’t have been fun. But instead you got to do things the nice way, and drained yourself of as much blood as you could without passing out. Once you had a nice tupperware container of blood, you bandaged yourself up and dumped the blood all over the kitchen floor. Then you cleaned. Poorly, like he would. You ‘forgot’ a few small splatters here and there, to make sure they knew it was a real nasty fight. 

Before you left the house though, you made sure to leave one more special thing for the police to find in the fireplace. Because of course your husband would think fire can get rid of blood, even though it can’t. Police will love having a murder weapon on hand once they get around to prosecuting him. 

But because you were you, you didn’t stop there. As the piece de resistance to your perfect crime, you needed one more touch. A diary. 

Over the past year you’d been carefully writing 300 entries on the Jumin and Misoo story. You started with the early days. Those were actually true, compared to the later stuff. You needed the happy early days so your readers—the police—would like Jumin and Misoo. If they weren’t likeable, the story of their downfall wouldn’t have been as impactful. 

After the early days though came the inventing. You spent your days writing of a poor, controlled Misoo. Her husband turning from charming businessman to sadistic, possessive, and eventually abusive. You weren’t exactly lying to your husband when you told him you spent your days working on a novel.You were! It just wasn’t the novel he was thinking of. 

Then came time to burn the diary. Thanks to that furnace in your vacation home that your husband was too afraid of to ever touch, you were able to burn it. Not completely, but just the right amount so it looked like he tried to burn it but failed. The pages had to still be readable, or else the entire diary itself was a pointless effort. Once that was achieved, you changed the alarm code on the house to ensure the police would find it. 

Your last step was honoring tradition. For your dear husband you set up a very important treasure hunt. If you husband has half a brain, he’ll be able to figure it out. But no one else will. 

If everything goes according to your plan, the world will hate Jumin for murdering his poor, beautiful, pregnant wife. When you’re ready, you’ll go out into the water with a pocketful of rocks and a handful of pills, and let yourself become food for the fish. Later, when the police find your body they’ll know Jumin dumped his beloved wife like garbage. Then, Jumin may or may not die, but he’ll definitely receive life in prison which is an erasure in itself. 

Misoo and Jumin. The couple that disappeared. It would be a shame, but it’s not like you two ever really existed. You were both pretending to be people you weren’t. People better than what you actually were. A marriage of lies. But that’s what all marriages are based on, right? No one can expect to be loved unconditionally. You have to work to be loved. You work hard at everything you set your mind to, so of course you weren’t the one who dropped the ball here. That was your husband’s fault. He became someone you did not agree to marry. Someone lazy. Someone who lied. A _cheater_. 

You continued to drive down the Seoul highway, and as the realization set in that Jumin was finally going to get what he deserved, you smiled. You weren’t in the clear yet, you still had a lot to do, but the hard part was over. Now it was time to sit back and watch the chaos unfold. 

For about two hours you drove away from Seoul. You needed to be close enough so you could watch the proceedings on the news, but you had to be hidden. There was a small, backwater town a bit to the East of Seoul. There were small cabin-like homes available for rent. They took cash, and while the cable was spotty it worked. 

Before you got there, you stopped at a gas station along a deserted stretch of highway. No one was using the one person bathroom that stunk of cigarette smoke and piss, so you parked your car and made your way inside, making sure to lock the door behind you. 

Pulling out scissors, you bluntly cut your long dark hair to your shoulders. You made sure to put the hair in a ziplock bag, just in case. Then, you got out the bleach. Obviously you weren’t going to be able to go from having black hair to platinum blonde in an hour, but you could still lighten your hair enough to be unrecognizable. 

People always thought in order to be effectively disguised, you had to be forgettable. Not stand out. Blend in. But that was where they were wrong. In fact, the best way to be disguised was to be a different person. Sometimes, a noticeable hair color or attitude did wonders for obscuring one’s true identity. So while your bleached hair might have made you stand out, it was going to make you look like someone who definitely wasn’t Chung Misoo, and that was what was most important. 

Looking into the mirror, you saw a woman with shoulder-length orange-blonde hair staring back at you. Reaching into your bag, you pulled out the pair of cheater glasses you bought from the store and place them on the bridge of your nose. You smile. 

You didn’t look a damn thing like yourself, and that was perfect. 

After that, you wiped down the gas station bathroom to get rid of any trace of you. Not even a strand of hair could be leftover, or else you’d be fucked. By the time you stepped out of the bathroom, the smell of bleach was so heavy in the air you were seeing stars. 

Next stop was the store. You found a superstore off a few more freeway exits and park your forgettable car in the farthest back corner of the lot you can find. You hurried inside, and with the several million won you had stored in a fanny pack you kept hidden under your skirt, you rushed around and bought sheets, pillows, sweaters and jeans exclusively in shades in black and blue, and candy. Lots of candy. 

Finally, it was onto your hideout. Not that far away from the superstore was a smattering of rental cabins built around a small rice farm. The air here was much clearer than it was in Seoul, and a cool breeze pleasantly billowed your skirt as you made your way to the lobby to rent a cabin. After making a deposit with the won in your fanny pack, you got the keys and headed to the cabin that was yours. 

Using the bedsheets and cleaning supplies you had bought from the store, you clean the small cabin up as best you can. It would be a waste if you were to get caught because you contracted a staph infection from used bedsheets and had to go to a hospital. 

Then, it was done. You were set up to watch the fallout from your anniversary gift to your husband. Chung Misoo was gone, but that wasn’t going to be the end of her. You were ready to watch your husband get exactly what he deserved from the comfort of your one bedroom one bathroom rental cabin.

♕♕♕

**1 day gone**

When you awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside a holey mesh screen window, you smiled at the ceiling. Taking a deep breath, you relished in the scent of dust and pine instead of the scent of the expensive cologne you had become so accustomed to. 

Climbing out of bed, you walked to the window and peered outside. It was late in the morning, and it was already hot and muggy as could be. The sky was covered in a sea of white, with the clouds shifting from light to dark as the sky got closer to the horizon. There was a storm brewing in more ways than one. 

Making your way into the living room, you sat down on the musty leather couch, being careful to avoid the dried stain in the far corner of the cushion. You reached for the remote and flicked through the TV channels, hoping to find some news station reporting your disappearance. 

It didn’t take long before you struck gold. You saw the familiar face of a man attractive in a way that made you want to punch him, and your finger froze over the change channel button. There was your darling husband, standing in front of a blown up picture of your own face. 

It was a press conference on your disappearance. You listened to Jumin read off the ‘plea’ in his robotic voice, and a smile spread across your face. The cops most likely hadn’t found anything but the first clue yet, and here was Jumin already screwing himself over. Just like you knew he would. 

“All I want for her is to be safe in my arms again,” Jumin finished, looking up at the camera with blank eyes. 

“You fucking prick,” you whispered to the TV, locking eyes with the Jumin on the screen. 

He doesn’t hear you. 

After that, the rest of your morning played out relatively smoothly. You made yourself breakfast with the sparse groceries you picked up yesterday at the store, before taking a shower and deep conditioning your stiff hair. Then, once you were presentable, you made your way out to go to the nearby store and properly stock your fridge. 

Making your way out of the cabin, you sighed at the cool breeze that ran over your arms. It was hot and humid, but at least there was wind. Your hair blew around your shoulders, but less so then when it was longer. Looking out, you noticed someone sitting in front of the cabin next to yours, and your eyebrows shot up. 

While the logical part of you knew that you had to maintain a low profile, and that it was probably best to keep to yourself while you were hiding out, you also were tempted to speak to your neighbor. Maybe they had heard about the missing case of Chung Misoo. Maybe you could even get their opinion on Jumin. 

Besides, you had to seem friendly, right? To avoid suspicion? 

“Hey neighbor!” You called out as you walked in front of the porch. 

A young man, probably in his early twenties was sitting near the front door of the cabin. The first thing you noticed was his hair. It was bleached white with a faint pink color still on the tips, and it was smushed down by a baseball cap. He wore all black, and sat hunched over in his chair, flipping through the pages of a tattered book. When you called out to him, his head whipped up, eyes wide before his gaze settled on you. 

“Do I know you?” He asked with a scowl. 

“Oh, I just moved into the cabin next door,” you explained, putting on a decent imitation of a regional accent. “I’m Kim Soojin, what’s your name?” Soojin was a common name, something that didn’t draw too much attention. 

The boy glowered at you, but there didn’t seem to be any aggression behind his eyes. You smiled sweetly at him, and after a moment his resolve broke and he sighed. “You can call me Ra-” cutting himself off, he winced. “I’m Saeran.” 

You noticed how he didn’t give a last name. 

“Saeran, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” you said while bowing. “I’m heading to the market right now to pick up some groceries. If you need anything you can come with?” 

The boy stared at you for a moment, and you would’ve thought he was considering your offer if it wasn’t for the suspicious look in his eyes. Then, he shook his head. “No, I don’t need groceries.” 

“Alright then! Guess I’ll see you around!” You decided not to push the quiet boy any further, and walked away towards the market. 

Later, on your way back with your groceries, you noticed Saeran wasn’t outside anymore. Even though you continuously peeked out your window at his porch, you didn’t see him for the rest of the day. 

**2 days gone**

The next day, you left the house in the afternoon to go to the library. While the TV was your main source of information for how the case was progressing, internet would allow you to see more sides at once. 

As you walked into the nearby library, you half-expected the few older men loitering near the front to turn their heads and gawk at you. You had grown used to it over the years. The staring, the whistling, the hushed whispers between men as you walked away from them. But this time, no one turned to watch your ass as you walked by, and you smiled to yourself. 

In the upstairs part of the library a bunch of old computers resided on dust-covered desks. You made your way to the farthest corner, and booted one up. It took several minutes to turn the thing on and get the internet functioning, but once you did you wasted no time in typing ‘Chung Misoo’ into the search engine. 

The first thing that came up was your missing poster plastered next to Choi Glam’s head. 

It took all your self-restraint not to throw your hands up in the air and squeal right then. You had been hoping Glam would take your case, and now she has. If Jumin wasn’t already completely screwed before, now he definitely was. 

You were flattered, almost. Out of all the missing women’s cases in South Korea, yours was the one that Glam chose to talk about. Of course, you figured you had an edge given your husband’s reputation, but it still wasn’t guaranteed all the same. 

After looking over a bit of what Glam was talking about (she already loathed Jumin, that much was certain), you decided to see what everyone else thought of the man. So far, it seemed that while he wasn’t widely hated, it wouldn’t take much to sway people’s opinions that way. That would be easy enough once everything you had planned came to light. 

Overall, your plan was progressing steadily. Once Kyungju dropped the baby news, it would be all downhill for Han Jumin. 

**3 days gone**

On the 3rd day of your ‘vacation’, you decided to go to the pool. 

The pool was a small relief from the hot and muggy air that seemed a constant around your hideout. You were ready to lay in the pool in your pink floaty, letting your calves dip in and out of the cool water. 

When you walked into the small pool area, the place was almost entirely empty. You started looking over the soggy lounge chairs to put your stuff down on, and spotted the only other person at the pool. 

Sitting near the far edge was a figure dressed entirely in black. Your neighbor, Saeran, was seated on the edge of the pool, letting a single hand swing back and forth in the water. He didn’t look up as the fence gate to the pool slammed shut behind you, so you decided to walk over to where he was.

“Hi again, neighbor,” you greeted him as you sat down on a lounge chair nearby. “Funny running into you here.” 

Saeran looked up at you and frowned. “This is the pool for the rentals. Why wouldn’t you see me here?” 

“You just don’t seem like the pool-type,” you teased him as you laid back. “I mean, for one you’re wearing all black, and it’s super hot out so not very weather appropriate.” 

Saeran looked down at his clothes, as if he only just realized what he was wearing. 

“I just- I don’t have a lot of clothes, okay?” He said in a way that might’ve been an attempt at sounding angry, but just seemed more sad. 

You cocked your head at him, suddenly curious. “Money issues?”

Saeran gave you a suspicious look, as if debating whether or not he wanted to answer that. “...not really,” he said, turning his head back to the ground. 

“Then did you run away from somewhere?” You thought he’d been in his early twenties, but for all you knew he could’ve been 17. 

“Why the hell do you wanna know?” He challenged. 

“Just neighborly curiosity, I don’t mean nothin’ by it,” you reassured. “If it makes you feel any better, there’s someone I’m trying to avoid too.” 

This intrigued Saeran. He raised an eyebrow, and shifted to face you. “What do you mean by that?” 

“Just an ex.” You shrugged. “The bastard cheated on me.” 

“Oh.” Saeran seemed unsure of what to do with this information. “Sorry about that.” 

“It’s okay, karma will get him,” you said, pushing your sunglasses further up on your face. “I wouldn’t have been so upset about it if he just told me upfront. But the way I found out was the worst part of it.” 

You didn’t wait for Saeran to ask you more about it before you continued to speak, thinking back on the memory. “I made the mistake of coming home from a trip out of town a bit early…” 

_You were supposed to stay in Busan for another night, but you decided to come back to surprise Jumin. Things weren’t going too well between you two as of late, but you weren’t a quitter. The trip had given you some important time for self-reflection, and you weren’t giving up on your marriage. _

_Nothing seemed amiss when you stepped into the penthouse. You left your suitcase by the front door, and shut it quietly behind you. The lights were on in the foyer, and you padded silently into the living room, ready to greet your husband with a smile and a kiss. _

_You heard voices, and slowed your pace. It was two people, murmuring to each other, too quiet for you to make out what they were saying. A feeling of dread grew in your chest as you crept to the end of the hallway, and when you peered your head into the living room, you froze. _

_There were two people sitting on the couch, facing away from you. The head of dark hair you recognized as your husband, and the head of light blue hair you recognized as V. Now this wouldn’t be unusual, as V was your husband’s best friend, but something about their body language made you pause. _

_They were leaning into each other, so close that there was only a few inches between their faces. You noticed an empty bottle of wine on the table, and saw both their glasses had been emptied as well. Jumin’s hand was on V’s thigh, and it was as if the world shifted into slow motion. _

_Jumin lifted his hand up to V’s face, and brushed his fingers over the other man’s lips. V gasped softly, before threading his fingers together with Jumin’s. As you watched their lips meet, you realized you felt… numb. _

_You watched them kiss, waiting for Jumin to pull away, to say ‘wait, what about Misoo’ but he never did. _

_After a few moments, they pulled apart for air, and you heard Jumin’s soft whisper of ‘Jihyun’ before he leaned in again. _

_Turning around, you left the apartment as silently as you had arrived, nails digging into your palms hard enough to draw blood._

“When he first kissed me, he brushed my lips real softly, because I had some chocolate on them,” you told Saeran, brushing your lips with two fingers as an example. “And when he kissed _him_, he did the same exact thing.” 

Saeran frowned. “That’s… kinda fucked.” 

You hummed, a small smile quirking at your lips. “Thank you.” 

At least someone agreed with you. 

Then, you had an idea. 

“Say, do you have any dinner plans?”

♕♕♕

Somehow, you managed to convince Saeran to come over for dinner. 

After your talk earlier, you were even more eager to get Saeran’s opinion on your disappearance. You knew it was risky, bringing someone into your home, but the boy didn’t seem like the snooping type. 

So after dogging him at the pool, insisting he had to try your homemade soy sauce (it was store bought but who the hell cared?) he finally relented. 

You both sat on the leather couch, finishing your dinner of tofu and vegetables as you watched the flickering TV. Your sweat seeped into the leather, the fan in the corner of the room doing little to relieve you both from the wet and heavy heat. 

Saeran seemed extremely uncomfortable in your cabin. He kept glancing to the exit, as if he was preparing to make a run for it. You did your best to ignore his odd behavior, and filled the silence by babbling about the weather and the supermarket prices and any other pointless shit your brain could come up with. 

When the clock hit 7, the familiar opening to **Glam News** played from the TV, and you nearly lunged for the remote to turn it up. 

Glam appeared onscreen, as immaculate as ever, and her face was twisted into a scowl. You pushed your glasses higher up on your nose, and leaned forward in your seat. 

“Tonight ladies and gentlemen I bring you an update on the ever-evolving missing case of Chung Misoo. It seems like as time goes on, the circumstances are just getting worse and worse,” Glam began, folding her hands in front of her. 

You glanced to Saeran. “Have you heard about this?” 

“How could I miss it? It’s all over the damn news,” Saeran muttered. You frowned at his lackluster response, but stayed quiet as Glam started talking again. 

“Tonight in Seoul there was a vigil being held for Chung Misoo. Her husband, Han Jumin, gave a speech, but was interrupted by Misoo’s best friend and neighbor, Choi Kyungju,” Glam began. It was hard to keep yourself from smiling. Kyungju was doing exactly what you knew she would. 

“Kyungju revealed that Misoo was pregnant at the time of her disappearance,” Glam said, frowning. “Did you hear me? The woman was _pregnant_. And, unsurprisingly, Han Jumin claimed to have no knowledge of the pregnancy. Police later confirmed the claim by checking her medical records. Tonight we have guest speaker Lee Choyeon on the show to give her take on the situation at hand. Choyeon, what do you think of this latest development?” 

The camera flipped to an attractive middle-aged woman, her face set in a serious expression. “Well Glam, I think it is important to note that homicide is the leading cause of death for pregnant women. While we have no evidence to confirm if we’re dealing with a missing persons case or a homicide, I hate to say the latter is seeming more and more likely by the day.” 

Choyeon went onto talk about the reasons a man may want to murder his spouse due to a pregnancy, but you kept your eyes on Saeran. He seemed only half-interested in the show, eating his tofu and looking at his lap as it went on. 

“Do you think he did it?” You asked after a few minutes, wanting to snap his attention back to the TV report. 

Saeran shrugged. “Probably, I dunno.” You frowned but he didn’t look over at you. “Look, can we change the channel or something?” 

“Why? Don’t you think this is interesting?” You challenged. 

“I just don’t care about some random rich chick I never even heard of going missing.” He finally met your eyes and noticed your discontent. “If you wanna keep it on though that’s fine.” 

“I’d like to keep it on,” you said, trying to keep the anger from seeping into your voice. 

You turned your attention back to the TV, where they were now interviewing Kyungju about her knowledge of the pregnancy. You automatically tuned her annoyingly shrill voice out at this point, after putting up with it for months on end, so you watched Glam’s face instead. She was so angry about your case. It was so nice to know someone cared. 

“I gotta go to the bathroom, be right back,” Saeran announced, standing up out of his seat and leaving the room. 

Once he was gone, your eyes darted to the half full cup of soda he had sitting on the coffee table. Grabbing it, you leaned your head over the cup and spit into it, making sure to swirl it around a few times so it wouldn’t be noticeable. Then, you put the cup right back where it was, and leaned back in your seat as Saeran entered the room again. 

Sitting back down, the first thing he reached for was the cup of soda. He took a swig of it, and you had to fight to keep your expression neutral once more. 

The rest of the night passed in silence. Once the show had ended, Saeran explained he had to get back to his cabin, and you didn’t fight to keep him there. He wasn’t the type of person you thought he was, and it disappointed you. 

To make yourself feel better though, as you went to bed that night you promised yourself you would go to the library again in the morning, to check on the reactions to your pregnancy. 

A part of you wondered if your husband had solved the treasure hunt yet. You hoped he had. Jumin wasn’t going to learn anything if he didn’t know he was being punished. 

Before you went to bed, you remembered something on your todo list you had yet to do. Picking up your prepaid cell phone, you dialed in the number for the police station on your case. 

“112 what is your emergency?” 

“I’d like to report some suspicious activity around a house of Han Jumin’s,” you said smoothly into the phone. 

The police had to find the Red Room eventually, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah Misoo... and y'all thought Jumin was the villain of this story didn't you lskdjfklds
> 
> I really hope you guys liked this chapter! It was more difficult to write than I expected but I'm very happy with how it turned out!!
> 
> from now on we're going to be alternating between Jumin's POV and Misoo's POV within chapters, this chapter just had to be all Misoo's POV to catch up on the three days we haven't seen with her
> 
> oh also Saeran's here and I love him he's just doing his best
> 
> please please leave a comment if you enjoyed, they really make my day :)
> 
> feel free to message me on tumblr!  
cactusskiddo.tumblr.com


	7. Other Sources

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Jumin to lawyer up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey everyone!!! sorry this took so long to update, I've been busy with school and also I've been very into writing another one of my fics atm lol 
> 
> but now I'm attempting nanowrimo but not in the sense that i'm trying to write 50k words of one story, but rather just 50k words in total across multiple works so that means MORE CHAPTER UPDATES! we'll see how well I'm able to keep this up, but so far I'm at over 6k words and it's only the 2nd day of November so hopefully I can keep up this pace
> 
> anyway! thank you all so much for the love on the last chapter, and I really hope you enjoy this one!

“Jumin, you better have one hell of a good explanation for making me drive over here at 1 in the fucking morning,” Jaehee snapped as she stepped out of her car. 

Jumin was standing outside the empty property, wringing his hands as he waited for Jaehee to come inside. He had no idea how he was going to explain to Jaehee that Misoo was framing him, but he knew she was the first person he had to tell. 

“I do, I promise,” he said quietly, turning around and leading her inside. She frowned at the house, knowing it hadn’t been occupied in years, but followed him anyway. 

Making his way through the house a second time was less nerve wracking now that he knew what was down in the basement, but he could sense Jaehee tensing up behind him. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he had to take a deep breath before he put his hand on the doorknob, but he steeled his nerves to see the red room again and swung open the door. 

Jaehee gasped sharply, and when Jumin met her eyes, he saw nothing but pure horror. 

Jumin suddenly realized he had made a grave mistake. 

Jaehee thought he was confessing to her that he had murdered Misoo. 

“I didn’t put this here!” Jumin quickly said, reaching out to put a hand on Jaehee’s shoulder. She stepped away from him and he had to fight the urge to wince. “Jaheee, I didn’t purchase any of this. I’m being framed.” 

A mixture of guilt and relief instantly replaced the horror in Jaehee’s eyes, and she dropped her hands from her face before stepping back towards Jumin. 

“You’re being framed for Misoo’s murder?” Jaehee asked in a shaky voice, unable to tear her eyes from the basement. “By who?” 

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Jumin squeezed his eyes shut. “In Misoo’s last clue, she said ‘get ready to be cuffed’. I thought she meant it in a sexual way, but she’s framing me, Jaehee. She’s framing me for her murder.” 

For a moment, Jaehee seemed unsure of how to respond. She looked back and forth between Jumin and the room, clearly confused as hell about the whole situation, and Jumin didn’t blame her. 

After a few moments though, Jaehee spoke. 

“That crazy bitch,” Jaehee muttered. “How did you realize?” 

Jumin pointed to the center of the room where the anniversary gift was still sitting untouched. “Misoo left that here. She led me here with her treasure hunt, to find out what my anniversary gift was.” He laughed bitterly. “She really outdid herself this year.” 

Stepping into the basement, Jaehee approached the gift box, and Jumin followed behind her. 

“Have you opened it?” She asked, turning to Jumin. He shook his head, and Jaehee carefully untied the gauzy yellow ribbon before lifting the lid off to peer inside. 

On top there was a note, with Misoo’s signature looped handwriting scrawled across it. Jaehee lifted it up as delicately as if she were handling a bomb, and brought it close to her face to read it aloud. 

“‘My dearest husband, I know you believe no one truly sees you, but don’t believe that for a second. I know everything about you, from what you desire, to what you truly need. So for this anniversary I’ve arranged a very special trip for you. Follow the river, up up up! Just sit back and relax because you are done.’” 

Dragging a hand down his face, Jumin groaned. “Up the river, in other words: prison.” 

“Jesus christ,” Jaehee cursed under her breath. “I knew Misoo was… odd, but I never imagined she’d do something like this.” 

“To be quite honest, I’m not surprised,” Jumin said quietly. “Misoo has always had a thing for justice, similar to how God would punish his people in the Old Testament. She’s always believed people must pay for the things they do wrong, and often she sees herself as someone who must ensure that justice gets delivered.” 

He looked down at the actual gift box below the note, and noticed two wooden things sitting inside. Frowning, Jumin leaned down to look closer, and realized they were puppets. 

They were old, and crudely made. The puppets had exaggerated noses and eyes, and one was wearing a dress and lipstick while the other had a mustache. The female puppet was holding a tiny wooden baby in her arms, and the male puppet was holding what seemed like a bat. 

Jumin lifted the male puppet up, noting that it was surprisingly heavy. Beside him, Jaehee lifted up the female puppet, and Jumin noticed the handle for hers was missing. 

“Do you know what these are?” Jaehee asked, frowning at the unsettling marionettes. 

“They seem familiar,” Jumin said, trying to remember where he’d seen these before. “I think… these are Punch and Judy puppets? I’m not sure if you would be familiar with them, I believe they’re most popular in England.” Setting the puppet back down, Jumin folded his arms over his chest. “I’m just not sure what they have to do with the rest of Misoo’s plan.” 

“Oh, I think I’ve heard the story before actually,” Jaehee said, raising an eyebrow at the puppet. “Doesn’t Punch end up killing both Judy and the baby?” 

It was like cold water had just been dunked over Jumin’s head as he remembered the truth behind the Punch and Judy story. Jaehee was right. That was the ending. 

Misoo really had a sick sense of humor. 

“Misoo’s really fucked me over this time, hasn’t she?” Jumin muttered, stepping back from the gift box. 

Jaehee didn’t say anything in response to that, but that was an answer in and of itself. 

“I need a lawyer,” Jumin then muttered. 

“You do,” Jaehee replied, setting the Judy puppet on the table next to the Punch puppet. Jumin stared at the wicked grin painted on Punch’s face for several moments, before forcing himself to look away. 

“Jaehee, can you arrange for Driver Kim to take me to the Ryu Law Firm tomorrow morning?” 

Jaehee raised an eyebrow, but nodded. “Right away, sir.”

♕♕♕

The next morning, Jumin found himself on his way to the office of the Ryu Law Firm bright and early. That night, after Jaehee had arranged his ride, the two of them talked over how things were going to go from there, before each heading their separate ways back home. Unsure of what to do with the Punch and Judy puppets, Jumin ended up leaving them where he had found them in the Red Room. If he needed them later, he could go get them. For now though, he couldn’t stand the thought of having that Punch puppet in his home. There was something about its eyes that made him uncomfortable.

The media was in a frenzy. Even driving out of his home this morning proved to be a struggle. There was a huge crowd of reporters just waiting outside the gate to his driveway, and Jumin had to duck down in his seat to avoid the cameras as Driver Kim carefully maneuvered the car through the crowd. 

Even scrolling through his phone Jumin couldn’t avoid being reminded of the shitfest that was his life right now. His face was plastered all over practically every news site in Korea, all of them talking about Misoo’s pregnancy. Wherever Misoo was currently, there was no doubt in Jumin’s mind that she was loving the attention. 

That was an aspect of his wife not many people knew about. Misoo loved being the center of attention. She always acted like she didn’t, claiming shyness to appear more humble, but in reality she loved when people fawned over her. So not only was this framing thing the perfect way to get revenge on Jumin, but it also was giving Misoo the attention she had always desired. 

The car slowed in front of a tall skyscraper, and Driver Kim gestured for Jumin to get out here while he found parking. Nodding, Jumin straightened out his suit and climbed out of the car, making sure to keep his head down in case there were any reporters nearby. 

The sidewalk was packed with men and women in business suits, all making their way to their 9 to 5 jobs in downtown Seoul. A few people gave Jumin odd looks as he hurried into the office building, but otherwise he was in the clear as he walked through the automatic glass sliding doors. 

While the building was not as impressive as C&R’s main office, the high ceilings and modern decor of the lobby was still very pleasing to the eye. Looking around, Jumin searched for a receptionist he could talk to so he could figure out where to go from here. 

But then, Jumin heard a familiar voice echoing around the lobby, and he looked over to the elevators to see a group of businesspeople crowding around a man with white hair. It was easy to recognize Zen, and something Jumin quickly realized was that his model-esque looks were not the result of photoshop and professional makeup artists. He really did just look like that. 

Straightening his suit jacket, Jumin made his way over to the group waiting in front of the elevator. He was about to open his mouth to make his presence known, when a woman in a suit standing near Zen’s left noticed him and gasped. 

“Zen, look,” the woman said, pointing to Jumin a little ways away. 

Zen turned around to face Jumin, and when the two men made eye contact, Zen’s eyes narrowed. It was safe to say he recognized Jumin immediately. 

Jumin didn’t even get a chance to greet the man before Zen spoke. 

“No way.” 

Shit. 

“Zen, I understand the news has been saying some rather disturbing things about me-” 

“I said no. I don’t take cases unless I really believe the guy is innocent. That’s not the case with you.” Zen’s voice was clipped. He wasn’t happy to be seeing Jumin, but he was the only lawyer in the country who could probably get Jumin out of this mess. 

Jumin sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was going to have to plead. 

“I understand your feelings regarding me as a person, but I’m in a truly desperate bind right now. All I’m asking is that you listen to my side of things, and then decide if you wish to take me on as a client or not.” 

Zen stared at him for a moment, and Jumin wondered if he was going to refuse again. If that was the case, Jumin might have to contact his father’s lawyers, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. If his father’s lawyers were running his case, this entire situation would be out of his control. The directors board would be the one deciding how things proceeded, and Jumin wouldn’t be able to control anything about his own case. 

After a moment though, Zen groaned and pushed his bangs back with his hand. “Fine. I’ll listen to you, but unless you can convince me in the next hour you’re not a complete scumbag, I’m not doing anything for you.” 

“Trust me, this is something you want to hear,” Jumin said, a weight lifting off his shoulders. 

Zen nodded and turned to the people around him. “I’ll meet you back in the office, guys. Text me if anything major happens.” The men and women nodded, and an elevator dinged behind them. 

The doors slid open and the group made their way inside. Zen was silent as the elevator waited, eyes scanning over Jumin’s suit with an unreadable expression. As soon as the doors closed, Zen looked up again to meet Jumin’s eyes. 

“Okay, I’m a busy person, trust fund. So spit it out and tell me why I should think you didn’t murder your wife even though everything I’ve been hearing about you is telling me you did.” 

Jumin sighed and looked to the ground. 

“I’m being framed.” 

Zen scoffed. “Of course you are. By who?” 

“By Misoo.” 

Zen blinked at him, and Jumin knew this was going to take a lot of explaining. 

For the next hour, Jumin spilled everything to Zen. He told him about the treasure hunt, about what the police had found so far, the Red Room, he told him everything. The entire time Zen’s emotions played out across his face as clear as day. First it was disbelief, then disgust when Jumin went into detail about the ‘sex dungeon’, which then turned to shock as Jumin explained Misoo’s plan. 

By the end of it, Zen was staring at him with a mixture of horror and surprise. 

“You know, I didn’t think you could actually convince me but… shit dude,” Zen muttered, rubbing his hand on his jaw as he reached for his coffee cup. “I gotta admit, I have a lot of respect for Misoo right now. Like, she’s crazy, but she’s also a genius.” 

Jumin fiddled with his cufflinks. “She is.” He took a sip of his own coffee, before looking up at Zen once more. “So are you going to accept me as a client?” 

Zen snorted. “Are you kidding? Of course I am. This is some crazy shit, and I specialize in crazy shit.” He shook his head and laughed quietly, and finished his coffee before setting the cup down and pushing himself to his feet. 

“Alright trust fund, here’s what we’re going to do,” he said, gesturing for Jumin to leave the coffee shop with him. Jumin got up to follow him, and they made their way back onto the streets of Seoul. “From now on, you’re not talking to any police without me there, understood? You’ve already screwed up by talking to them without a lawyer, so we have to work damage control for that. In general, our plan right now is damage control. 

“The media hates you. Anyone who’s anyone is slandering your name, and talking about how great Misoo was. If we end up going to trial with things like this, it doesn’t matter what kind of deals I make, you’re looking at a life sentence.” Jumin gulped, but stayed quiet as Zen continued to talk. “So we need to find a way to make you look good to the public, and Misoo look bad. Is there anyone who she’s screwed over in the past, anyone who has a grudge against her? Anyone you could contact to testify about how crazy she is?” 

Thinking back, Jumin tried to remember if there was anyone who actually disliked Misoo. Many people weren’t fond of her, but she was never directly hated by anyone. 

Then he remembered going through her past police records with Saeyoung and Yoosung, and an idea popped into his mind. 

“There are two exes of hers that I think might have received the same treatment I did in regards to Misoo’s revenge,” Jumin said, bringing a hand up to his chin as he and Zen stopped their walking. They moved to the side, out of the way of the main stream of foot traffic as Jumin tried to remember the one person’s name. 

“Kim Rika was an ex of Misoo’s from high school that she had a restraining order filed against. Misoo claimed that when she tried to break up with Rika, Rika physically attacked her,” Jumin said, frowning as he tried to remember more. 

“Okay, that’s definitely something, but that was high school. What about more recently?” 

“There was another person… Francis Stark I believe? About a year before she and I met, she pressed charges against him for assault, but later dropped them.” 

“Francis Stark you said?” Zen asked, pulling out his phone. Jumin nodded and Zen was silent as he typed the name into his phone. A few moments passed, and then Zen grinned. “Found him. He moved to South Korea from England about nine years ago, and after the situation with Misoo he changed his name to Francis Vanderwood. Here’s his phone number,” Zen said, handing the phone to Jumin. 

Blinking in surprise, Jumin quickly put the number into his phone and handed it back to Zen. “You managed to find that rather quickly,” he commented, staring down at the new contact in his phone. 

“I know people,” Zen said in way of explanation. “Now, here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to call Francis, and you’re going to ask him what went down with Misoo all those years ago. I’ll get my people working on finding Rika’s contact information so we can do the same thing with her. Then, you’re going to go back to your house, and you’re going to stay there. Don’t talk to any media, don’t talk to the police, don’t say anything until I get to your place tomorrow so I can see all these clues for myself.” 

“Sounds reasonable to me,” Jumin conceded, pocketing his phone and stepping back. 

Zen nodded and turned back towards his office building. “I’ll see you soon!” Jumin watched as he slipped back into the foot traffic, his white ponytail swaying in time with his footsteps. 

Well, it was official. Jumin had a lawyer. 

It was time to stop playing Misoo’s rigged game. Jumin wasn’t going to lose. Not to her. 

Pulling out his phone, Jumin called Driver Kim and waited for the sleek, black car to drive up. The ride home was silent, with Driver Kim not asking Jumin any questions about who he had come here to see. Driver Kim was excellent at discretion, and didn’t try to learn things he didn’t need to know. Jumin appreciated the man’s penchant for privacy, and it was one of the many reasons he had kept the man on staff for so long. 

When they arrived back at his home, Jumin had to duck once more to avoid the flashing cameras of the paparazzi. Driver Kim helped shield him as he made his way into the house, and when the door slammed shut behind him, he breathed a sigh of relief. 

Now alone in his home, with no risk of being overheard, Jumin seated himself on the couch next to Elizabeth, and began to run his fingers through her fur. After a moment, he pulled out his phone once more to look at Vanderwood’s contact. 

His finger hovered over the call button. He knew he needed to speak with Vanderwood, but he had no idea how it was going to go. 

Without letting himself put it off any longer, Jumin hit the call button and brought the phone up to his ear. 

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Was he going to bond with this man over having poor taste in women? Did he just want confirmation that he wasn’t going insane? Or was he going to be met with disgust, and even more suspicion. 

Jumin wasn’t sure. But then the ringing stopped and Jumin’s breath caught in his throat. 

“Hello?” A voice greeted, the Korean clipped with a British accent. “Who is this?” 

Jumin blinked for a moment, unsure of how to start things off. 

“If this is a bloody prank call-” 

“No, it’s not,” Jumin suddenly cut in. “I’m sorry, I was simply, um,” Jumin shook his head. “Am I speaking to Francis?” 

There was a groan on the other end. 

“Do not call me Francis. No one calls me that anymore. Vanderwood will do just fine,” the man clarified. “Now who the hell am I speaking to exactly?” 

“Han Jumin,” Jumin said. “I’m-” 

“I know who you are,” Vanderwood cut in. “The news won’t shut up about you.” 

Sighing, Jumin pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m aware,” he huffed. “The media has been… difficult to deal with.” 

Vanderwood snorted. “All according to Misoo’s plan I’m sure.” 

This made Jumin freeze. He stared wide-eyed at the seat in front of him, not having expected Vanderwood to be so direct. 

“H-How did you-” 

“The minute I heard Misoo had gone missing I had a feeling I was going to receive a call from you eventually. I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that the ‘assault’ she charged me with wasn’t exactly what she made it out to be.” 

“I suspected as much,” Jumin commented. “If you’re alright with discussing it, can I hear from you what happened between you and my wife?” 

Vanderwood hummed. “Yes, but you’re going to want to grab yourself a drink for this. I know I’m going to.” 

Fair enough. Jumin kept the phone to his ear and made his way over to his liquor cabinet. He reached for a bottle of red wine, before pausing. This wasn’t a wine conversation. This was a brandy conversation. 

Reaching for the dusted bottle of cognac, Jumin poured himself a glass of the amber liquid, listening on the other line as Vanderwood presumably did the same. Then, taking his glass, Jumin made his way back over to the couch with his drink in hand. 

“Do you have a drink?” Vanderwood asked. 

“Yes, I had some cognac in my cabinet.” 

“Fitting. I’m having some whiskey myself.” Jumin heard the clinking of a glass on the other end. “Cheers, Han Jumin.” 

“Cheers,” Jumin said, taking a sip of his own drink. He set the glass down and heard Vanderwood do the same. 

“Alright,” Vanderwood said, coughing slightly. “I met Misoo 8 years ago at a party a mutual friend was holding. At the time I had only lived in South Korea for a year so my Korean was still not excellent, but she was almost completely fluent in English so we ended up speaking most of the night. Not only was she gorgeous, but she was hilarious and took no bullshit. She also happened to enjoy a lot of the same things I did, and essentially I was head over heels for her by the end of the night.” 

Jumin hummed. He knew that mask of Misoo’s very well. 

“But as time went on, she changed?” Jumin guessed. 

“Exactly,” Vanderwood confirmed. “We dated for several months, and as time went on she changed. She became very critical of me. The things I wore, the way I styled my hair, the way I spent my evenings, even the way we had sex! She criticized everything, and kept trying to convince me to change my ways.” 

“So you broke up with her?” Jumin asked. 

“No, I didn’t break up with her but I began to put some distance between us. I stopped inviting her over as much and I started going out to meet other people. Nothing serious of course, but I was just trying to get some breathing room if that makes sense. I wasn’t trying to be an asshole. I just wanted to see if I would be happier with someone else.” 

“So what happened from there?” Jumin continued. 

“Take a drink,” Vanderwood ordered instead. Jumin obliged, and Vanderwood did the same. “Alright. So, after not talking for a few weeks, out of the blue she showed up at my apartment one night. She brought over a movie I quite enjoyed and some wine, and said she had missed me. She was so sweet to me, it was like she was back to being the girl I had met at that party a few months before. 

“We watched a bit of the movie, but we didn’t get very far before Misoo threw herself on top of me. She was being so unusually aggressive, but I definitely wasn’t going to say no. Next thing I knew, she had my pants around my ankles and was-” Vanderwood cut himself off suddenly. “Shit, sorry, that’s your wife I’m talking about.” 

“It’s alright,” Jumin reassured him, though he did take another sip of the cognac. 

“Anyway, the point is we had sex. It was rough, but that was what she wanted! Completely consensual on both sides. The next morning when I woke up though she had left. I just figured she had to go to work and left it at that.” 

“But that wasn’t it, was it?” 

Vanderwood hummed again. “Nope. Two days later I had police officers knocking on my door. Misoo had wounds consistent with rape and bruises on her wrists. She claimed I tied her to my bed and _raped_ her. And you know what the police officers found on my bedpost?” 

Jumin almost had to laugh. “The ties you had been wearing during sex?” 

“You do know your wife,” Vanderwood said, taking another sip of his drink. “If she hadn’t dropped the charges I was going to be registered as a sex offender.” 

“I wonder why she dropped the charges?” Jumin pondered, scratching his chin. 

“I don’t know. But a few weeks after she did, I received a letter in the mail. No return address, nothing saying who it was from. But it was typed out, and all it said was ‘Maybe next time you’ll be more mindful of others feelings’.” 

Staring at the wall, Jumin sucked in a breath and ran a hand down his face. “Jesus christ,” he muttered. 

“I know. So when I saw her name on the news a few days ago, all I could think was there’s Misoo. She’s graduated from being raped to being murdered.”

♕♕♕

The fan rattled as it blew a weak stream of air at Saeyoung’s face. Beyond the fan, there was a low murmur coming from the TV, and from his peripheral vision Saeyoung could see Glam’s expression twisted into one of anger. Big surprise there.

In front of him on his desk were the photocopies of Misoo’s diary. Saeyoung had been pouring over the pages for hours, reading entries over and over again. The story detailed in the pages was one of a perfect romance gone wrong, and there was something about it that gave Saeyoung a feeling of… wrongness. 

The door to his office opened, and Saeyoung grinned when he saw Yoosung stepping inside. He had two coffees in his hands, and returned Saeyoung’s smile as he set one of the cups down in front of the redhead. 

“Thanks cutie,” Saeyoung said, gratefully taking a sip of the hot liquid. 

“No problem,” Yoosung shrugged. He made his way over to Saeyoung’s side of the desk, and leaned over to look at the papers scattered around. “Are you still reading this diary? Haven’t you read it three times already?” 

Saeyoung shrugged as he pushed himself to his feet, relishing in the sound of his joints popping with the movement. “I dunno, I just keep feeling like I’m missing something.” 

Yoosung snorted. “I mean, it seems pretty obvious to me. ‘I’m afraid of my husband, this man may kill me’. What do you think she meant by that?” 

“I don’t know. It just seems… too convenient? Like, that’s a really weird coincidence to have the diary end on _that_,” Saeyoung said, wrapping an arm around Yoosung’s waist as his eyes darted over the pages. 

“I think you’re looking too deeply into it. All the evidence is pointing to Jumin, what more do you need?” Yoosung asked, turning to give Saeyoung a worried look. 

Saeyoung stared at Yoosung for a moment, before sighing and letting his head drop onto Yoosung’s shoulder. “Just… I dunno. This case is getting to me. Everything just seems too perfect.” 

“You’ll figure it out,” Yoosung reassured him, bringing a hand up to run his fingers through Saeyoung’s hair. “You always do.” 

Snorting, Saeyoung looked back up to meet Yoosung’s eyes. His small smile made Saeyoung’s heart jump. How did Yoosung always look so cute? 

“And you always know just the right thing to say,” Saeyoung teased, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to Yoosung’s lips. “We should probably get back to work before someone sees us,” he added, making no move to let go of Yoosung. 

Yoosung grinned. “But we won’t.” 

Saeyoung leaned in to kiss Yoosung again. 

“We definitely won’t.”

♕♕♕

After his phone call with Vanderwood, Jumin spent the next few hours thinking things over. This wasn’t the first time Misoo had exacted revenge in this way, but this was definitely the most extreme thing she’d ever faked. Jumin had known his wife was one for revenge, but he never imagined something like this.

It was odd. Jumin had learned more about his wife in the past 4 days without her here, than he had learned over the entire course of their marriage. She had always been a mystery to him, and traversing her thoughts had always felt like a great journey he would never be able to complete. 

It was sick to think, but Jumin found himself… missing her. Not in the sense that he missed the woman he had come to know as his wife, but the woman she used to be. Hearing Vanderwood describe Misoo when they had first met had reminded Jumin of what she had been like when the two of them had first met. He remembered her smile, and her sense of humor, and her complete lack of bullshit. 

At first, Jumin had loved the fact that Misoo could cut straight through to him, without any mincing of words. But as time went on her dagger grew sharper, and her words more painful. It was no longer just honesty, but brutality. 

Jumin missed the Misoo whose words didn’t slice him up into pieces. He missed the Misoo who laughed at his poor attempts at jokes, and hugged him whenever he got home from work. 

But that Misoo didn’t actually exist. It was just one of her many masks. 

Sometimes, Jumin wondered if Misoo even had a true personality. Or if she was a chameleon of a person. Constantly shifting to match her environment. 

Jumin wondered if he’d ever get the chance to find out. 

By the time the sun had set and the crowd of reporters had thinned, Jumin was itching to do something. He was filled with nervous energy, not liking the idea of sitting in wait while Misoo pulled the strings from wherever she was hiding. He needed to start moving his own chess piece forward, instead of letting her choose his moves. 

Pacing around his bedroom, Jumin noticed something. On the floor, near his bed sat the shoebox he had been looking through the night before. The ‘box of hate’ as Jaehee had referred to it. 

Picking it up, Jumin looked through the items inside. His eyes immediately fell on the envelope that sat at the top. It was the letter Rika had written to Misoo not too long ago. 

Jumin’s eyes flickered to the upper left corner of the letter. There, in neat, green ink was an address. Rika’s address. 

Clutching the letter in his hand, Jumin hurried down the stairs and out to his car. He ignored the questions of the few reporters who had decided to wait out the night, keeping his head down as he climbed into the drivers seat. 

He schooled his expression into one of complete neutrality as he drove out the gate and through the crowd. The flashing cameras nearly blinded him, but soon enough he was past them all and on the open road. 

He had been driving himself more these past few days than he had in the past few years. If anything good was to come out of this, at least he was getting better at driving. 

It was a little less than an hour drive to Incheon, thanks to the later hour meaning a lack of traffic. The entire time, Jumin’s mind was racing with what he was going to hear from Rika. He suspected he was going to hear something similar to what Vanderwood told him. That the accusation of her physically attacking Misoo had been faked, and Rika knew exactly what he was going through. 

Jumin wondered if Zen was going to try and get Vanderwood and Rika to testify on Jumin’s behalf. That would be one interesting day in court. 

It wasn’t difficult to find Rika’s house. The place was gigantic, with an immaculate lawn and dozens of windows. Jumin was surprised. He hadn’t realized Rika was wealthy. 

Jumin didn’t pull into the driveway. Instead he parked his car on the curb, and made sure to check that no one followed him as he hopped out. The last thing he needed was another news headline detailing how he visited an ‘unknown woman’ in the dead of night. 

Stepping up to the oak door, Jumin rang the doorbell and stepped back. Hopefully Rika would still be awake, otherwise this entire drive would’ve been for nothing. 

For a moment, it was silent. Jumin fiddled with his cufflinks, the paranoia in his mind telling him to leave as soon as he could. He was just about to turn around and head back to his car, when he heard footsteps, followed by the click of a lock unlocking. 

The door swung open, and Jumin’s eyes widened as he recognized the woman standing in front of him. 

Long blonde hair that fell in thick curls, expensive-looking white dress, and bright green eyes that were staring at Jumin with unbridled suspicion. This was the woman Jumin had seen at the volunteer center a few days prior. 

“Han Jumin, why are you here?” Rika asked, her thin eyebrows furrowed together. 

“You’re Kim Rika, aren’t you?” Jumin asked. “You and Misoo dated in high school.” 

Rika’s eyes widened, and she nodded. “Yes, we did. That doesn’t answer my question though.” 

“Well, according to police records, Misoo filed a restraining order against you because she claimed you physically attacked her when she tried to break up with you. I’m here because I want to know if there’s another side to that story,” Jumin explained, folding his hands in front of him. 

Rika stared at him for a moment, before her eyes narrowed again. “Your wife is missing, and you came all the way to Incheon to question me about something that happened in high school?” She asked. 

“I just wanted to know if there was another side to this story. I’ve spoken to another ex of Misoo’s, and it seems there’s a pattern of bad things happening to people who upset her.” 

For a moment, Rika was silent. She looked over Jumin, and he resisted the urge to break the eye contact. 

“Like I said, we were only together in high school. I don’t understand how it could be relevant to anything going on right now,” Rika said, pushing a blonde curl behind her ear. 

“But you wrote her a letter a few years ago. Why would you do that if she had a restraining order against you?” Jumin asked, frowning at Rika. 

“That was a long time ago. I guess you wouldn’t know, but sometimes exes are able to forgive and forget a bad breakup,” Rika explained, her eyes piercing into Jumin’s. “Misoo and I both enjoyed letter writing. It’s such a beautiful thing, expressing yourself on physical paper. So much more personal than texting. Misoo and I both enjoyed exchanging letters to one another.” 

She didn’t seem to want to talk to him. It was so unlike Vanderwood, who had been completely understanding and sympathetic to Jumin’s plight. With Rika, it was as if she was suspicious of him. 

He wasn’t going to get anywhere with her. 

“Alright, thank you for explaining. If I may ask one more question before I leave though?” 

Rika shrugged. “You’re already here, so I don’t see why not.” 

“Why were you at the volunteer center a few days ago?” 

“Isn’t it obvious? I want to help find Misoo. I still consider her to be one of my closest friends, and I think it’s terrible what’s happened to her,” Rika said, stepping away from her doorway to be closer to Jumin. “I think you should stop chasing ghosts, Jumin, and focus on things a little closer to home.” 

Jumin stared down at the blonde woman, a deep discomfort growing inside of him. There was something… weird about Rika. He didn’t like it. 

“Thank you for your time. I think I should be taking my leave now,” Jumin said, stepping back and turning to go back to his car. 

Rika didn’t say anything, and he felt her eyes boring into the back of his head the entire trek back to his car. As he drove away she continued to watch him, and Jumin felt a shiver run down his spine. 

Rika was not someone he could rely on. But at least he tried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry that yooseven scene was so cheesy but I just love those boys okay
> 
> also WE FINALLY GOT VANDERWOOD!! AND ZEN!!! AND RIKA!!! To be honest, I wasn't sure if I was going to include Vanderwood in this, but I just wanted Jumin and him to have that conversation so here we are. Also, I know Zen as a lawyer is weird considering he's the resident himbo of mystic messenger, but just please suspend your disbelief for this fic I needed someone to be a lawyer and I thought Zen fit the role well enough
> 
> oh and not to be Misoo on main but Vanderwood definitely deserved Misoo's criticism of his hairstyle. like, why the fuck does he have a mullet?? it's not cute hon
> 
> ANYWAY i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!! make sure to leave a comment if you did, I promise we'll be seeing more of what Misoo is up to in the next chapter!
> 
> My tumblr!  
cactusskiddo.tumblr.com


	8. Paranoia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Jumin has a meeting, while Misoo and Saeran play mini golf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey yall this fic AINT DEAD 
> 
> sorry it's been such a long time since there was an update to this. I was trying to blast through the last few chapters of my other ongoing fic, Can I Interview You? , but with school starting up again after winter break I just ran out of steam on that. So I turned my attention back to this fic (also rewatching the movie it's based on helped a lot of my inspo as well) 
> 
> I can't guarantee regular updates still for this, but I can't guarantee regular updates for any of my fics so! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Hopefully the next one comes a bit sooner lol

The day after Rika’s visit, Jumin woke up to someone ringing his doorbell. 

Eyes blinking open, he wondered if one of the reporters had gotten desperate enough for a story that they scaled his gate. If that was the case, they were going to need one hell of a lawyer, because Jumin could and would sue them for that. Reporters knew that though, so that was unlikely. 

Frowning, Jumin sat up in bed and rubbed at his eyes. It wasn’t Jaehee, because Jaehee would let herself in. So that only left the police, or Zen. 

Neither option was one that Jumin was particularly looking forward to dealing with, so he groaned and took his time as he made his way down the stairs and to his front door. His steps were slow and his mind was hazy. He’d gotten back late the night before from his surprise drive to Incheon to visit Rika. 

He still wasn’t sure what to make of the woman. Dealing with Vanderwood had been surprisingly easy, given how he was very strictly on the same side Jumin was on. Jumin had to admit he’d been expecting a similar reaction from Rika, but instead all he received was coldness and suspicion. Not only was it a disappointment, but it certainly blew a hole in Zen’s plan to try and garner witnesses against Misoo. 

Stumbling towards the front door, Jumin ran his fingers through his hair before opening the door to a scowling Zen. As per usual, the former actor was immaculate in appearance. His silky white hair was pulled back into his usual low ponytail, the grey trench coat he was wearing was perfectly pressed, and there wasn’t a single blemish to be seen on his face. It was almost annoying how perfect the man’s appearance was. 

Zen snorted when his eyes fell on Jumin’s half-asleep form. “I’m guessing I woke you?” 

Jumin nodded. “Yes, you did. Forgive me, I was out late last night,” he said, stepping aside to let Zen in. 

The lawyer stepped inside the house, eyes widening slightly as he took in the large foyer and expensive decorations that lined the walls. Jumin didn’t bother giving him a proper greeting, instead turning around to trudge towards the kitchen. He heard the click clack of Zen’s shoes on the wood floor, and knew that the man was following him. 

Jumin beelined for his coffee machine, and reached for a mug from the cupboard once the coffee had begun to brew. 

“Would you like a cup of coffee?” Jumin asked in a half-mumble as he pulled down a ceramic black mug for himself. 

Zen didn’t respond, and when Jumin turned around to look at the man, he noticed Zen was sneering at him. 

“Is there a problem?” Jumin questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

“Jesus… of course you have silk pajamas,” Zen muttered, his eyes moving up and down Jumin’s body. When Jumin simply stared at him, not understanding what he meant by that, Zen shook his head. “Whatever, forget I said that. Yes, coffee would be great, thanks.” 

Jumin nodded and turned back to pull a second mug from the cupboard. He set the first mug under the machine, and closed his eyes as he listened to the liquid stream into the cup. Then, he did the same for the second. While he waited, he pulled out his phone and sent a text to Jaehee telling her to come over, and she responded with one saying she was already on her way. 

He was grateful Zen didn’t try to speak to him at this time. He was still half-asleep, and he was sure he couldn’t deal with talking about Misoo and her treasure hunt just yet. The smell of the coffee wafted around the kitchen, and Jumin couldn’t help but think back to the mornings where Misoo would wake him up with a dark chocolate mocha and freshly cooked crepes. He remembered how excited she would be to show him the presentation of her dish, with powdered sugar on the crepes arranged into a heart on top of the soft pancakes. 

This was in the early days of their marriage. Back when Jumin’s smile made Misoo smile, and vice versa. 

Once the cups were filled, Jumin picked one up and set it on the counter in front of Zen, before taking his own in his hands. He took a long sip of it, ignoring the way it burned his throat. Right now, he couldn’t afford to wait, he desperately needed the caffeine. 

Jumin wasn’t even halfway through the cup when he heard the front door open, and knew that Jaehee had arrived. 

“I apologize for my tardiness, Mr. Han,” Jaehee said, bustling into the kitchen without looking in Zen’s direction. “I was at the other house, taking pictures of evidence as I knew we were going to be meeting with Zen today-” Jaehee turned around to make eye contact with the lawyer himself, and she cut herself off with a soft _aaaaaah_ noise. 

...what. 

Jaehee stared at Zen, and he blinked before giving her a shy smile. 

“Um… hi?” He offered, clearly unsure as to why she was staring at him like a deer caught in the headlights. To be quite honest, Jumin wasn’t sure why she was staring at him like that either. It wasn’t like his assistant to be so taken aback. Sure, he hadn’t told her Zen was already here when he told her to come over, but it wasn’t like that changed much about the situation. 

Blinking a few more times, Jaehee shook her head and turned away, her face burning bright red. 

“My apologies, I-um, I wasn’t expecting you to already be here,” Jaehee stammered, turning to face the counter where she had set down her own travel mug of coffee. “Sorry, I just- um,” Jumin had never seen his assistant in such a disorganized state. He wondered if she was alright, and debated asking Zen to leave the room so he could speak to her. 

“Is everything alright, Jaehee?” Jumin asked after a moment. 

“Yes, I’m fine,” Jaehee shot back immediately. Her cheeks were bright red, and after a moment she sighed and turned to face Zen again. “I’m sorry for my peculiar reaction. This is slightly embarrassing to admit, but I was a fan of yours from your days as a musical actor, so seeing you here without any sort of forewarning simply caught me off guard.” 

At this, Zen’s grin turned blindingly bright, and he practically jumped to his feet. 

“Oh! A fan!” Zen bowed to Jaehee, and the woman’s cheeks blossomed an even brighter red at the gesture. “It’s lovely to meet you, Jaehee. It’s so rare that I meet anyone who’s familiar with my musical work these days. It’s refreshing to be known for something else other than getting people acquitted for murder every once in a while.” 

Jaehee giggled—Jumin is positive he’s never heard Jaehee giggle in her life—at Zen’s charms. “Despite how short a time you spent in musical theater, I still hold the firm belief that you are one of the best musical actors of our time, Zen,” Jaehee said, smiling at the lawyer. 

“Oh please, you’re flattering me.” 

“I’m not! I believe that your work in _Tei’s Tea Leaf_ was deserving of an award, and I’m still shocked you were not nominated that year,” Jaehee told him. “Though of course your work in the _Spicy Jalapeno_ cannot be ignored either. It was quite the… heartstopping experience.” 

“You’ve seen _Tei’s Tea Leaf_? That was one of my earliest shows,” Zen commented, looking impressed. 

“I’ve seen all of your work. It took quite a bit of time to track down recordings of all your shows, but I felt I owed it to myself to view all of the works of such a master.” 

Jumin felt rather like a fly on the wall at this point, watching the two as they continued to discuss Zen’s former career. Zen was eating up Jaehee’s praise, practically glowing as she continued to heap compliments on him, while Jaehee looked happier than Jumin had seen her in eons. 

Taking another sip of his coffee, Jumin felt a headache coming on. 

“I hate to interrupt this conversation,” Jumin cut in, making the other two people turn to look at him. “But have we forgotten that the reason you’re both here is because I’m being framed for first degree murder?” 

Both Zen and Jaehee blinked at him, Jaehee coughing and ducking her head in embarrassment, while Zen looked slightly annoyed at having to stop talking about his musical past. But, they both must’ve recognized the desperation in Jumin’s tone, because Jaehee stepped away from Zen to go back to where she had set her cell phone down on the kitchen counter. Zen returned to nursing his coffee, and Jumin was relieved the conversation seemed to be over. 

“Alright,” Zen began, switching back into business mode. “You gave me the rundown on Misoo’s framing yesterday, but I’d like to hear more about this treasure hunt you said she sent you on.” 

Jumin nodded, and pushed off the counter towards the drawer he’d been keeping the envelopes in. Very aware of Zen’s eyes on him, he pulled the three envelopes out of the drawer and laid them out on the counter in front of Zen. As Zen read through the three letters, Jaehee pulled up her phone to show Zen a picture of the Punch and Judy dolls as soon as he was finished. 

“Okay, so you have to tell me what I don’t know,” Zen said, setting the cards down. 

Jaehee gave Jumin a look, and he took a deep breath as he leaned back against the kitchen counter. He wasn’t looking forward to this, but he knew he couldn’t avoid this any longer. 

“I’m… having an affair,” he said, figuring that was a gentler way to put it than ‘cheating on my wife’. 

A scowl flashed across Zen’s face. “Are you kidding? Seriously?” He questioned. Jumin sighed and nodded. “Of fucking course. Why am I even surprised.” Resting his elbows on the counter, Zen buried his face in his hands and groaned. “Alright. Fine. You’re having an affair. How long?” 

“About 14 months,” Jumin admitted. 

“Fucking hell,” Zen muttered. “Okay, we’re gonna have to keep this under wraps. First tell me about her. I need to know how long we have till she goes and blabs to someone.” 

Jumin stared at the floor. “His name is V,” he said, wringing his hands in front of him. “He’s been my closest friend since childhood. He won’t tell anyone. I know he wouldn’t.” 

To his credit, Zen didn’t blink twice at the revelation that Jumin’s affair was with a man. “That’s better than I expected, but we still need to be careful. Just because he’s not as liable to go and speak to reporters about this doesn’t mean we can just ignore this. This should be obvious, but you have to break things off.” 

Blinking, Jumin struggled to reconcile what Zen just told him. “I… what?”

“You heard me. You can’t be going off to sneak around with your boyfriend while your wife is missing. That’s not going to work. You can’t see him anymore.” 

“Well, I was aware of the fact that I wasn’t going to be able to see him while this was still going on, but after this is resolved-” 

“Jumin, right now you’re looking at life in prison if we can’t find Misoo. You say ‘after this is resolved’ like it’s a guaranteed thing, but it’s not guaranteed at all. I’m going to do my best to keep you out a blue jumpsuit, but you can’t just assume this is all going to blow over and you’re gonna go back to your boyfriend like nothing’s changed,” Zen explained, taking another sip of his coffee. “Trust me, it’ll be easier on both of you to just break things off.” 

Jumin ran his fingers through his hair, knowing Zen was right but not wanting to admit it to himself. He was in love with V. He knew that. V was his closest companion, the only person who gave him comfort in the darkest days of his and Misoo’s marriage. V had always been a constant in his life, whether platonically or romantically, and the idea of losing that… it hurt more than Jumin wanted to think about. 

But Zen was right. He didn’t have a choice here. This mess could take ages to resolve, and that’s assuming it was going to be resolved at all. If Jumin was going to end up in prison, it wouldn’t be fair to V to keep him dangling on a fishing line. 

The pain was a physical ache in Jumin’s chest. He was going to have to let V go. 

“Fine, I’ll take care of that,” Jumin said quietly. 

“As you should. Once that’s taken care of we’ll discuss how we’re going to tell the police about V, and also how we’re going to break the Red Room to them as well,” Zen continued. 

This made Jumin balk. “You want me to tell the police about my affair?” 

Zen raised an eyebrow. “Would you rather they hear about it from a tabloid? No matter how careful you are, this is eventually going to get out. We have to control as much as we can. Understood?” 

Jumin nodded. The last thing he wanted to do was sit in front of Saeyoung and Yoosung, detailing his affair to the two of them, but it would be better for them to hear it from him instead of from more unsavory sources. 

“Good.” Zen pushed himself to his feet, picking up the clues in one hand and holding them out. “Now, let’s go over the treasure hunt. The first clue led to your office, where Misoo had left a pair of ribbon handcuffs. The third clue led to that empty property, where all the stuff from your credit cards for the sex dungeon was stored. So please, tell me, what the _hell_ was at your vacation home? Where the second clue led?” 

Jumin hadn’t even thought that there might be something incriminating at the vacation home, but hearing Zen lay it out like that, he realized how idiotic it was to _not_ presume that there’d be something to be found there. Misoo wouldn’t just waste a clue without planting something for the police. Every part of her treasure hunt had been too meticulously managed for that. 

“I’ll be quite honest, I have no idea,” Jumin said, folding his arms over his chest. 

Nodding, Zen clapped his hands and turned on his heel. “Then let’s go. We have to find whatever’s there before the police get their hands on it.” 

Going up the stairs, Jumin went to his room to change before heading out. Automatically he beelined for a suit, given that wash is usual everyday wear, but then he realized there was really no point in him wearing a suit if he wasn’t going to the office. His fingers ran along the black cashmere of his suit jacket, he could hear Misoo’s voice in his head, chastising him. 

_Careful, love. You’re being watched by many people. Wearing a suit could come off as a bit… pretentious._

He hated how he still heard her voice in his ears, so clearly as if she was standing right beside him. Misoo was still living in every corner of every room, every shadow, every trick of the light, she was there. She was haunting him and she wasn’t even dead. 

Misoo would be pleased if she knew just how under his skin she had gotten. 

Unable to ignore the nagging in his mind, Jumin gave up on the suit and got dressed in a plain button down and slacks instead. He made his way back down the stairs, where Zen and Jaehee were in the midst of what seemed to be another discussion regarding Zen’s musical background once again. 

“If you ever decide to go back to theater, you’ll have many fans waiting for you, I hope you know that,” Jaehee was telling Zen, a manila folder pressed close to her chest. 

“Thank you, really. I don’t plan on leaving my law firm anytime soon, but I definitely do wanna go back to theater eventually,” Zen replied, fiddling with the ends of his ponytail. 

Coughing to announce his presence, both Zen and Jaehee looked up as Jumin approached. Jaehee seemed slightly surprised to see him in a more casual outfit, but she didn’t comment as she led the trio out of the house and to Jumin’s car. 

They told Driver Kim where they were going, and the driver nodded once before starting the engine. As they pulled out of the driveway, Jumin ducked at the flashing of cameras outside his gate, even though his windows were tinted and no one would be able to see through them. Jaehee sighed at the display of reporters, while Zen frowned at the crowd. 

No one spoke as they cleared the throng and made their way onto the open road. The car was heavy with anticipation, everyone worried as to what exactly they were going to find in Jumin’s vacation home. Knowing Misoo, it could be anything from a murder weapon to a fake body. 

Jumin kept his eyes on his lap as they rounded the different twists and turns. It was only when Jumin could guess they were growing near that he heard Jaehee speak. 

“You’ve gotta be shitting me…” 

Looking up, Jumin’s eyes widened as the vacation home came into view. Bright yellow caution tape contrasted with the soft beige walls, the words ‘DO NOT ENTER’ screaming at Jumin from his seat in the car. 

“I guess whatever Misoo hid there the police already found,” Zen muttered, dragging a hand down his face. “I guess we just have to hope it wasn’t anything too incriminating.” 

Jumin resisted the urge to groan. Things weren’t looking good. 

“Knowing Misoo, I seriously doubt that.”

♕♕♕

Despite the awkward dinner and news watching the day prior, somehow you managed to convince Saeran to spend time with you again the following day. 

At the suggestion of the woman who worked at the front desk of the lodge, you decided to go out with Saeran for a game of minigolf. You’d never enjoyed minigolf in the past. It wasn’t a pastime you found very stimulating, the only enjoyment to derive from it being the sense of competition. However, there wasn’t much else to do in the backwater region where the cabins were located, so minigolf it was. 

You watched as Saeran took his turn, looking like he’d rather be anywhere but here. You weren’t sure why he kept agreeing to spend time with you, when he spent every second with you acting like he was in pain. But he was the only access you had to an outside point of view on your case. Even if he wasn’t that interested in the disappearance of Chung Misoo, he still had some barebones interest in the case, and that was enough for you to want to keep him around. 

Saeran landed the golf ball in the hole after the third try. He didn’t seem very happy about his result, and shrugged as he stalked back to you to let you take your turn. 

You lined up your shot, narrowing your eyes as you aimed dead center for the hole. You had to get over a bump, but if you applied enough force, you would be able to clear it no problem. Taking a breath to steady yourself, you double checked to make sure everything was lined up, and then you hit the ball. 

The bright pink ball went flying over the bump, circling around the hole before landing in the hole with a satisfying _clunk!_. Cheering, you jumped up and pumped your fist, having made a hole in one. 

To your horror though, when you landed back down on the ground, you felt the fanny pack you kept hooked under your sweater fall off your waist and land on the ground with a rather loud noise. Eyes widening, you tried not to glance back at Saeran as you ducked to the ground and hurriedly put the pack full of cash back under your sweater. 

When you turned around, you saw Saeran staring at you oddly. “Damn, sounds like you’ve got some serious cash in there,” he commented. 

Shaking your head, you tried to laugh it off. “It’s mostly singles,” you explained, adjusting your sweater so the bulge of the bag wasn’t obvious. 

Saeran narrowed his eyes, but didn’t comment further. He moved to the next course, and you breathed a sigh of relief that he seemed to accept your explanation. 

Stepping out of the way, you watched Saeran hit the ball towards the hole once more. It bounced off a pink plastic windmill, and went careening to the side. You winced in sympathy as Saeran grumbled to himself to try again. 

“Damn hands are too shaky for this,” Saeran muttered, flexing his fingers around the handle of the putter. 

“Your hands are shaking?” You questioned, raising an eyebrow at the boy. “It’s not that cold out.” He looked up to meet your questioning gaze and scowled. 

“It’s not because it’s cold,” he told you, frowning as he sent another shot towards the hole. The ball careened again, and Saeran let out a loud curse. You watched him line up another shot, and now that the shaking of his hands had been pointed out, you couldn’t help but notice how violently his hands were trembling. 

“Then why are your hands shaking like that?” You asked, watching as he missed yet another shot. 

Head shooting up, Saeran narrowed his eyes in a glare, but you met his gaze steadily. 

“It’s a symptom of withdrawal,” he said flatly, watching you for a reaction. 

You didn’t react, although you were slightly surprised. It made sense though. He was a young guy hiding out in the middle of nowhere with little money to his name. Drugs were an obvious explanation as to how he ended up like this. 

“That sucks,” you said with a shrug. “Good on you for getting clean though.” 

Saeran narrowed his eyes at you again, as if trying to figure out whether you were being sarcastic or not. After a few beats of silence passed between the two of you, he looked away and back at the golf ball. 

This time, he made it in the hole. Finally taking your turn, you didn’t feel as triumphant this time when you got another hole in one. You still grinned at your victory, but you were careful not to jump again. 

Throughout the rest of the evening, you were careful to not move too suddenly. The bag of won you had on you, while weighing very little, felt like a thousand pounds. You could feel it with every breath, every shift in your feet. And you might’ve just been paranoid, but it also felt like Saeran was watching you. Or rather, watching your bag. 

You had to admit, while you definitely hadn’t grown up wealthy, you didn’t grow up in a rough area either. You weren’t familiar with having to watch your wallet, being on guard when walking through your neighborhood at night. It wasn’t something you ever had to worry about. The idea of someone trying to rob you was laughable, even further so when you actually married Jumin and suddenly had a fortune to your name. You were never out in public alone thanks to Jumin’s security detail, so the sensation of fearing for the money you carried… it was strange. 

You had to tell yourself you were just being paranoid. You were at the center of an ongoing missing person’s investigation, of course you’d be on edge. So worrying that your new ‘friend’ was going to rob you was simply just part of the paranoia that came with your situation. 

Just paranoia. Nothing more than that. 

At least, that’s what you told yourself. 

The two of you ended up playing for another hour, and then you went and got dinner from the nearby market. You and Saeran didn’t actually speak much. It was more a matter of you not knowing what to say to him, and him having no one else to be around besides you. 

Once your paltry dinner was finished, the two of you went your separate ways. He went back into his cabin, and you went back into yours. You took a shower, taking care to hide your pack under your mattress and making the shower as quick as you could. Then, you turned on the TV, and bundled up in a cheap cotton rob to spend the evening catching up on your favorite news story: yourself. 

Glam Choi was on again, this time, having turned to target both Jumin and Jaehee. 

“I know she works for him, but you have to admit, the two seem oddly close,” a commentator on the show was saying, frowning at a picture of Jumin holding a door open for Jaehee being displayed on the screen. 

“Sleeping with the secretary. This case has fallen into a lot of cliches, so I would not be surprised if it turned out there was something between the two of them,” Glam agreed, not looking pleased whatsoever. 

You smiled to yourself, leaning back on the couch and taking a sip of your beer. They really were reaching for anything to pin on Jumin, weren’t they? You knew that Jaehee would never dream of doing anything with Jumin, not even considering the fact that she wasn’t into men. But the fact that Glam seemed to want to latch onto anything she could to destroy Jumin’s reputation was exactly what you wanted. You felt a little bad that Jaehee was getting dragged into this, but you knew she didn’t like you from the beginning, so you didn’t feel too bad about it. 

It was then you heard something. It sounded like the snapping of a twig outside your window. Your heart jumped into your throat, and you whipped your head toward the window to try and see if anyone was watching you. 

You were only met with darkness. Still, you had a weird feeling. 

Pushing to your feet, you crept to the door and pulled it open ever so slightly. Peeking your head out, you looked around, trying to search for the source of the snapping noise. 

If you had seen a squirrel or a deer perhaps, you would’ve felt better. But instead, there was nothing. No animals, no people. Dead silence, save for the wind rustling the trees. 

Carefully, you pulled yourself back into the house, and shut the door. You locked and bolted it, and decided right then and there that you were going to leave tomorrow. It didn’t matter if you weren’t sure where to go next. You’d find a place. You just knew that you didn’t want to stay here. 

That night, as you were falling asleep you could’ve sworn you heard another snapping twig outside. 

But you were sure it was just your paranoia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i wrote the last part of this on a train and was hella distracted whoops hopefully it sounds gucci
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! I'm so glad so many of you are enjoying this fic as much as I enjoy writing it! We're getting to a part I really like so hopefully my inspiration stays high and I can blast out a few more chapters soon! 
> 
> thank you so much for all the love and support and be sure to leave a comment if you enjoyed! they make my day!
> 
> message me on tumblr!  
cactusskiddo.tumblr.com


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